Beetroot Pigments, Their Application and Selection of Suitable Drier

Beetroot is an excellent source of food pigments (betalains) and because of the high quantity of betalains, their extraction is commercially economic. These natural pigments have been recognized as food colours and their strength is more than many synthetic colours. The carboxyl and amine groops have been seen in their structures and they are coloured because of their resonating structures. Betalains (red betacyanin, yellow betaxanthin) contain %1-0.4 pigments, %80 sugar, %8 ash and %10 protein. The quantity of their colour is depend on the amount of betaxanthin. Betanin (betacyanin with glucose) is more stable than synthetic colours. Most pink icecream in Germany and the UK contains betanin in the range 15 to 25 ppm. The main processes in betalain extraction are thermal processing, crushing, concentration under vacuum and drying. Selection of the drier is the difficult part, so a few kinds of driers such as rotary, spray, tray and fluidized bed driers were studied. Spray driers (medium size) seem to be more efficient from economic viewpoints.Methods such as ion exchange, gel chromatography, fermentation and in vitro cell suspension are used to purify betalains. The last method is more advantageous. The application of biotechnology methods such as fermentation in production of red beet concentrate after removal of sugars and reduction of the yellow pigment, though more expensive than traditional methods but is qualified for the today`s world market.