Beetroot red pigments, extraction methods, stability and health effects
What it found
Red beetroot betalains are natural pigments that break down easily when exposed to heat, light, oxygen or changes in acidity.
The authors say these pigments have potential as a functional food ingredient because of their reported health effects.
What they found
Studies in people and animals
Reported health effects
Recent studies report a variety of biological activities linked to beetroot betalains. The authors describe these as having diverse health-promoting effects.
Other findings
Types of natural pigment
Betalains from red beetroot are natural colouring compounds. They come in two main forms: yellow-orange betaxanthins and red-violet betacyanins.
Sensitivity during processing
These pigments break down easily when exposed to heat, changes in acidity, light and oxygen. This makes them unstable during food processing and storage.
What the authors conclude
- They say it is important to understand how different processing methods affect betalains.
- Their work brings together information on both traditional and newer ways to extract these pigments, along with details on how to keep them stable.
- The authors suggest that red beetroot betalains have strong potential as a functional food ingredient.
How it was done
Red beetroot has drawn growing interest as a rich source of active plant compounds, especially betalains. These natural pigments could be useful in the food and medical industries, but they break down easily during processing and storage.
The authors gathered and summarised published research on how to extract and process betalains from red beetroot. They also looked at studies reporting various biological activities of these pigments. No new experiments were carried out for this work.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This is a summary of existing research rather than a new experiment. It cannot prove that eating beetroot pigments causes specific health benefits in people.
- Many of the reported biological activities may come from cell or animal tests. Those results do not always match what happens in the human body.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Southwest University, China; Beijing Technology & Business University, China; Northeast Agricultural University, China
The paper
- Title
- Red Beetroot Betalains: Perspectives on Extraction, Processing, and Potential Health Benefits
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Fu Y, Shi J, Xie SY, Zhang TY, Soladoye OP, Aluko RE (2020). Red Beetroot Betalains: Perspectives on Extraction, Processing, and Potential Health Benefits. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry. doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.0c04241PubMed 33040529DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error