2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Betalaines are red and yellow pigments derived from indole. They are also found in some higher class mushrooms. They are most often seen in the petals of the flower, but can also color the fruits, leaves or stems of plants that contain them.
The name betalaine comes from the Latin name of the common beet, from which the dyes were first derived. The strong red color of the plant is due precisely to the pigment.
Betanine is the most studied betalaine. It is extracted from the roots of red beets. It is a glucoside and is used as a colorant in the food industry. It can cause the urine to turn red, as well as the faeces of some people who cannot break down betanin.
The food industry has a growing interest in betalaine and especially to betanin, as it can be used to make artificial coumarin, which turns food red. Coumarin, used now, has harmful side effects.
Betalains will increasingly enter the food industry due to the discovery that they also act as antioxidants. And antioxidants protect cells from free radicals that cause antioxidant stress. This condition is dangerous because it damages DNA, leads to various chronic diseases, the most severe manifestations of which are type 2 diabetes and cancer.
Betalaines support the strength of the cellular structure and have a restorative effect, especially on the liver, and this is the center in the body where all detox processes take place.
Therefore, red beets, which is the food with the highest pigment content, should be included in everyone's menu. The content of nutrients, including B vitamins, manganese, potassium and fiber, also reduces high blood pressure levels, dilates blood vessels and promotes blood flow, eliminates toxins and has a diuretic effect.
We can entrust our superfoods to this superfood, as well as that of our children, because its use reduces the risk of birth defects.
It can be consumed in salads, and in summer red beet juice is especially invigorating. This will release the beneficial pigment betanine into your body.
