Interested in betalains and betalain-containing plant extracts?
Plant pigments betalains have emerged as novel phytochemicals of potential application in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries due to their natural colorant and fluorescent properties, potent antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities, and in vivo health-promoting potential. With cutting-edge capabilities, our company offers reference substances and support in analysis and production of tailor-made betalains in established and emerging areas.
ANTIOXIDANTS
Pure betalains and betalain-containing extracts have demonstrated a strong antioxidant activity. The activity determined is higher than that detected for other well-known compounds such as ascorbic acid, catechin, and Trolox. Glucosylation in betacyanins has been demonstrated to reduce the activity of pigments due to the blockage of one of the hydroxyl groups. However, the presence of these groups is not necessary to express the antioxidant activity, in contrast to other known antioxidants. Thus, an “intrinsic activity” exists in all betalains studied, which can be enhanced by the presence of hydroxyl groups.