Nowadays, the demand for eco-friendly/nontoxic natural colorants is growing as an essential alternative to potentially harmful synthetic dyes. Betanin is the chief red pigment of beetroot, and it is the only betalain approved for use in food and pharmaceutical products as a natural red colorant. This chapter is mainly dealing with the betanin pigment, and also the chapter is subdivided into six sections covering the chemistry of betanin, extraction of color using various novel techniques (like microwave- and ultrasonic-assisted extraction) from raw plant material, biosynthesis of betanin followed by chemical synthesis of betanidin, and also the effect of pH, temperature, and light on the stability of betanin followed by its applications.
Part of the book: Chemistry and Technology of Natural and Synthetic Dyes and Pigments