1704446505
Food Things You Should Know
Beetroot pigment is one of the 46 natural food pigments approved in Taiwan. The color of the pigment is reddish-purple. Because it has antioxidant properties and is edible for vegetarians, it is commonly used in candy, drinks, ice cream, and other foods. However, traditionally it is made from plants. The method of obtaining red beet pigments is inefficient and costly. As the market demand for natural food pigments continues to increase, the cultivation area needs to be increased. In this context, using yeast fermentation, scientists have successfully investigated how to produce highly concentrated and highly pure natural beetroot pigments more efficiently, offering both sustainability and cost potential benefits.
Writing = editing
Although synthetic food colorings are widely used in foods, the risks of consumption have long been a public concern. Consumer concerns about their safety and sustainability have led to market demand for natural food colorings continuing to increase.
Currently, 46 types of natural pigments are approved in Taiwan. Among them, beetroot pigment is often used in candy, drinks, ice cream and other foods because it has antioxidant properties and is not of animal origin. It is one of the most commonly used natural red food pigments in the food industry. However, the traditional method of extracting red beet pigments from plants is inefficient and costly. In this context, a research team from the Technical University of Denmark, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability (DTU Biosustain), has developed a new method using yeast fermentation, allowing manufacturers to produce natural beetroot pigments more efficiently and with higher concentration and purity, which is intended to expand the areas of application in the food industry. This technology was published in the journal Nature Microbiology in November 2023.
What difficulties do “beetroot pigments” encounter in the conventional processing process?
The natural red food coloring “Beet Red Color” is obtained from the rhizome of the beet (Beta Vulgaris). Its main component is betanin. In addition to being edible for vegetarians, it also has antioxidant properties and is therefore used by more and more people. Use it to replace synthetic red pigments. However, the betanin that can be extracted from plants is very limited. Every 100 grams of fresh beetroot only contains around 20 to 210 mg of betanin. In addition, it is influenced by the cultivated area and climate change, so the efficiency is low and the cost is high; In addition, the color stability of betalains is influenced by pH and is also sensitive to heat, oxygen and light. During processing, the pigment can leak out and cause stains and odors, so traditional extraction methods require strict processing. Condition.
Betanin is a reddish-purple pigment that can be obtained from beetroot and is used as a food additive called betalain.
Scientists use microbial fermentation technology to successfully produce large quantities of high-quality beetroot pigments
To solve this problem, Danish scientists used Yarrowia lipolytica, an oleaginous yeast commonly found in cheese, to ferment glucose as a carbon source and successfully produce betanin in large quantities. Yarrowia lipolytica is a “crabtree-negative” yeast. Under conditions of high glucose concentration, it continues to maintain its main energy production via the respiratory tract, with high growth rate and metabolic activity, and genetically modified Yarrowia lipolytica. It has high stability. Therefore, it is relatively easy to carry out large-scale fermentation. Scientists have modified the cellular metabolism of yeast using metabolic engineering technology so that it can more efficiently produce highly concentrated natural betalain food pigments while reducing by-products. Improving product purity can also prevent unnecessary browning and increase product stability.
Microbial fermentation has both sustainable and economic benefits, taking natural food pigments into a new era
The production of betalains from renewable raw materials through microbial fermentation is more sustainable and efficient than traditional pigment extraction methods and is being hailed as a revolutionary breakthrough in the food pigment industry. The research evaluation shows that the resource, energy and land requirements for the fermentative process are significantly reduced compared to conventional methods and that the production of red beet dyes through fermentation is economically feasible under current market conditions. In addition to the potential for sustainability and cost reduction, the successful production of purer beetroot pigments through microbial fermentation offers visibility of natural food pigments that are present in other plants but are not commercially available due to small quantities. s future.
Comparison of production methods in the betanin supply chain. The above extraction-based process is a traditional extraction method that uses beetroot as raw material, while the below fermentation-based process is a fermentation-based process that uses glucose as the fermentation raw material. (Image source: Nature Microbiology magazine)
#Natural #food #colors #revolutionized #againScientists #yeast #fermentation #produce #natural #beetroot #pigments #efficiently #sustainablyfoodNEXTFactual #Food #Knowledge #Channel