Betalains: pigments from the dragon fruit for coloring your food

Authors

  • Alma Rosa Martínez Ramos Facultad de Química, Departamento de Investigación y Posgrado en Alimentos, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0171-9191
  • Lucía Guadalupe Abadía García Facultad de Química https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0955-4520
  • Anaberta Cardador Martínez Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnológico de Monterrey https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2942-1186
  • Silvia Lorena Amaya Llano Facultad de Química, Departamento de Investigación y Posgrado en Alimentos, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29105/idcyta.v10i1.133

Keywords:

betalaínas, fruto del dragón, colorante natural, pigmentos, aprovechamiento de subproductos agroindustriales

Abstract

Color is one of the most important sensory attributes of foods and to preserve this quality, the industry uses synthetic dyes that have been associated with the development of certain diseases, which is why there is a growing interest in developing dyes of natural origin. such as betalains, pigments found in the pulp and peel of dragon fruit, a fruit native from Mexico that has become popular worldwide thanks to its high nutritional value and high content of bioactive compounds. This review generally addresses the colorants used in the food industry. Subsequently, it presents the case of betalains as a natural dye and dragon fruit as a source of obtaining these compounds. Finally, briefly, the extraction of these pigments from dragon fruit as an alternative for its use as a commercial dye.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Alma Rosa Martínez Ramos, Facultad de Química, Departamento de Investigación y Posgrado en Alimentos, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro

Estudiante del programa de Doctorado en Ciencias de los Alimentos de la Facultad de Química de la Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. Dedicada a los procesos y análisis involucrados en la obtención y estudio de los compuestos bioactivos de las plantas.

Lucía Guadalupe Abadía García, Facultad de Química

Doctora en Ciencias de los Alimentos por la Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. Académica en la Facultad de Química de la Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. Dedicada al desarrollo de productos lácteos funcionales y la evaluación de tecnologías emergentes para el procesamiento de alimentos.

Anaberta Cardador Martínez, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnológico de Monterrey

Doctora en Ciencias de los Alimentos por la Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. Académica en el Tecnológico de Monterrey campus Querétaro. Dedicada al desarrollo de investigación en productos naturales, extracción de biomoléculas y evaluación de su actividad biológica.

Silvia Lorena Amaya Llano, Facultad de Química, Departamento de Investigación y Posgrado en Alimentos, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro

Doctora en Ciencias por el CINVESTAV, Querétaro. Rectora de Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. Dedicada al desarrollo de nuevos productos, productos lácteos funcionales, empleo de tecnologías innovadoras para el procesamiento de productos alimenticios, obtención de productos de alto valor agregado a partir de residuos de la industria agroalimentaria.

 

References

Arivalagan, M., Karunakaran, G., Roy, T. K., Dinsha, M., Sindhu, B. C., Shilpashree, V. M., Satisha, G. C., & Shivashankara, K. S. (2021). Biochemical and nutritional characterization of dragon fruit (Hylocereus species). Food chemistry, 353(129426). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129426 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129426

Attar, Ş. H., Gündeşli, M. A., Urün, I., Kafkas, S., Kafkas, N. E., Ercisli, S., Ge, C., Mlcek, J., & Adamkova, A. (2022). Nutritional analysis of red-purple and white-fleshed pitaya (Hylocereus species). Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 27(3), 808. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27030808 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27030808

Barciela, P., Perez-Vazquez, A., & Prieto, M. A. (2023). Azo dyes in the food industry: Features, classification, toxicity, alternatives, and regulation. Food and chemical toxicology, 178, 113935. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2023.113935 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2023.113935

Carrillo, C., Nieto, G., Martínez-Zamora, L., Ros, G., Kamiloglu, S., Munekata, P. E. S., Pateiro, M., Lorenzo, J. M., Fernández-López, J., Viuda-Martos, M., Pérez-Álvarez, J. Á., & Barba, F. J. (2022). Novel approaches for the recovery of natural pigments with potential health effects. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 70(23), 6864–6883. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.1c07208 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.1c07208

Carreón-Hidalgo, J. P., Franco-Vásquez, D. C., Gómez-Linton, D. R., & Pérez-Flores, L. J. (2022). Betalain plant sources, biosynthesis, extraction, stability enhancement methods, bioactivity, and applications. Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.), 151, 110821. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2021.110821 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2021.110821

Diario Oficial de la Federación. (2012). ACUERDO por el que se determinan los aditivos y coadyuvantes en alimentos, bebidas y suplementos alimenticios, su uso y disposiciones sanitarias.

Elmarzugi, N. A., Cheah, L., Eid, A., Aziz, A., & Ariffin, F. (2016). Phytochemical properties and health benefits of Hylocereus undatus. Nanomedicine & nanotechnology, 1(1), 1-10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.23880/NNOA-16000103

Hadipour, E., Taleghani, A., Tayarani-Najaran, N., & Tayarani-Najaran, Z. (2020). Biological effects of red beetroot and betalains: A review. Phytotherapy research: PTR, 34 (8), 1847–1867. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.6653 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.6653

Jiang, H., Zhang, W., Li, X., Shu, C., Jiang, W., & Cao, J. (2021). Nutrition, phytochemical profile, bioactivities and applications in food industry of pitaya (Hylocereus spp.) peels: A comprehensive review. Trends in food science & technology. 116, 199–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2021.06.040 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2021.06.040

Kim, H., Choi, H. K., Moon, J. Y., Kim, Y. S., Mosaddik, A., & Cho, S. K. (2011). Comparative antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of red and white pitayas and their correlation with flavonoid and polyphenol content. Journal of food science, 76(1), 38–45. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2010.01908.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2010.01908.x

Lin, X., Li, B., Wen, J., Wu, J., Tang, D., Yu, Y., Xu, Y., & Xu, B. (2022). Storage stability and in vitro bioaccessibility of liposomal betacyanins from red pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus). Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 27(4), 1193. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27041193 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27041193

Luo, H., Cai, Y., Peng, Z., Liu, T., & Yang, S. (2014). Chemical composition and in vitro evaluation of the cytotoxic and antioxidant activities of supercritical carbon dioxide extracts of pitaya (dragon fruit) peel. Chemestry central journal, 8(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/1752-153X-8-1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1752-153X-8-1

Martins, N., Roriz, C. L., Morales, P., Barros, L., & Ferreira, I. C. F. R. (2017). Coloring attributes of betalains: a key emphasis on stability and future applications. Food & function, 8(4), 1357–1372. https://doi.org/10.1039/c7fo00144d DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C7FO00144D

Mercado-Silva, E. M. (2018). Pitaya— Hylocereus undatus (Haw). In S. Rodrígues, E. Silva & E. Brito (Eds.), Exotic fruits reference guide (pp. 339–349). Elselvier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-803138-4.00045-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-803138-4.00045-9

Molina, A. K., Corrêa, R. C. G., Prieto, M. A., Pereira, C., & Barros, L. (2023). Bioactive natural pigments extraction, isolation, and stability in food applications. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 28(3), 1200. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28031200 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28031200

Montesinos-Cruz, J. A., Rodríguez-Larramendi, L., Ortiz-Pérez, R., Fonseca-Flores, M. Á., Ruíz-Herrera, G., Guevara-Hernández, F. (2015). Pitahaya (Hylocereus spp.) un recurso fitogenético con historia y futuro para el trópico seco mexicano. Cultivos tropicales, 36, 67-76.

Naqvi, S. F. H., & Husnain, M. (2020). Betalains: potential drugs with versatile phytochemistry. Critical reviews in eukaryotic gene expression, 30(2), 169–189. https://doi.org/10.1615/CritRevEukaryotGeneExpr.2020030231 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1615/CritRevEukaryotGeneExpr.2020030231

Novais, C., Molina, A. K., Abreu, R. M. V., Santo-Buelga, C., Ferreira, I. C. F. R., Pereira, C., & Barros, L. (2022). Natural food colorants and preservatives: A review, a demand, and a challenge. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 70(9), 2789–2805. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.1c07533 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.1c07533

Paśko, P., Galanty, A., Zagrodzki, P., Ku, Y. G., Luksirikul P., Weisz M., & Gorinstein S. (2021). Bioactivity and cytotoxicity of different species of pitaya fruits – A comparative study with advanced chemometric analysis. Food bioscience, 40(100888), 2212-4292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbio.2021.100888 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbio.2021.100888

Renita, A. A., Gajaria, T. K., Sathish, S., Kumar, J. A., Lakshmi, D. S., Kujawa, J., & Kujawski, W. (2023). Progress and prospective of the industrial development and applications of eco-friendly colorants: an insight into environmental impact and sustainability issues. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 12(7), 1521. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12071521 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12071521

Sadowska-Bartosz, I., & Bartosz, G. (2021). Biological properties and applications of betalains. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 26(9), 2520. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26092520 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26092520

Salam, H. S., Tawfik, M. M., Elnagar, M. R., Mohammed, H. A., Zarka, M. A., & Awad, N. S. (2022). Potential apoptotic activities of Hylocereus undatus peel and pulp extracts in MCF-7 and Caco-2 cancer cell lines. Plants (Basel, Switzerland), 11(17), 2192. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11172192 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11172192

Santos, M. C. D., & Bicas, J. L. (2021). Natural blue pigments and bikaverin. Microbiological research, 244, 126653. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2020.126653 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2020.126653

Suh, D. H., Lee, S., Heo, doY., Kim, Y. S., Cho, S. K., Lee, S., & Lee, C. H. (2014). Metabolite profiling of red and white pitayas (Hylocereus polyrhizus and Hylocereus undatus) for comparing betalain biosynthesis and antioxidant activity. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 62(34), 8764–8771. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf5020704 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/jf5020704

Tanaka, Y., Sasaki, N., & Ohmiya, A. (2008). Biosynthesis of plant pigments: anthocyanins, betalains and carotenoids. The plant journal: for cell and molecular biology, 54(4), 733–749. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-313X.2008.03447.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-313X.2008.03447.x

Verona-Ruiz, A., Urcia-Cerna, J., & Paucar-Menacho, L. (2020). Pitahaya (Hylocereus spp.): culture, physicochemical characteristics, nutritional composition, and bioactive compounds. ScienceaAgropecuria. 11(3), 439–453. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17268/sci.agropecu.2020.03.16

Weisbrod, D. B., Caruana, D. L., Li, D., Wan, L., & Szema, A. M. (2023). A Case report of Allergic hypersensitivity to color additives in Slurpee® Beverages. The yale journal of biology and medicine, 96(1), 79–82. https://doi.org/10.59249/KGFT1011 DOI: https://doi.org/10.59249/KGFT1011

Zhang, Q., Chumanevich, A. A., Nguyen, I., Chumanevich, A. A., Sartawi, N., Hogan, J., Khazan, M., Harris, Q., Massey, B., Chatzistamou, I., Buckhaults, P. J., Banister, C. E., Wirth, M., Hebert, J. R., Murphy, E. A., & Hofseth, L. J. (2023). The synthetic food dye, Red 40, causes DNA damage, causes colonic inflammation, and impacts the microbiome in mice. Toxicology reports, 11, 221–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxrep.2023.08.006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxrep.2023.08.006

Published

2025-02-10

How to Cite

Martínez Ramos, A. R., Abadía García, L. G., Cardador Martínez, A., & Amaya Llano, S. L. (2025). Betalains: pigments from the dragon fruit for coloring your food. Revista Investigación Y Desarrollo En Ciencia Y Tecnología De Alimentos, 10(1), 26–35. https://doi.org/10.29105/idcyta.v10i1.133