Betanin, a Natural Food Additive: Stability, Bioavailability, Antioxidant and Preservative Ability Assessments.

Davi Vieira Teixeira Da Silva,Vania M Flosi Paschoalin,Genilton Alves,Daniel Perrone,Eduardo Mere Del Aguila,Diego Dos Santos Baião,Fabrício De Oliveira Silva

doi:10.3390/molecules24030458

Davi Vieira Teixeira Da Silva, Vania M Flosi Paschoalin + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24030458

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Abstract

Betanin is the only betalain approved for use in food and pharmaceutical products as a natural red colorant. However, the antioxidant power and health-promoting properties of this pigment have been disregarded, perhaps due to the difficulty in obtaining a stable chemical compound, which impairs its absorption and metabolism evaluation. Herein, betanin was purified by semi-preparative HPLC-LC/MS and identified by LC-ESI(+)-MS/MS as the pseudomolecular ion m/z 551.16. Betanin showed significant stability up to −30 °C and mild stability at chilling temperature. The stability and antioxidant ability of this compound were assessed during a human digestion simulation and ex vivo colon fermentation. Half of the betanin amount was recovered in the small intestine digestive fluid and no traces were found after colon fermentation. Betanin high antioxidant ability was retained even after simulated small intestine digestion. Betanin, besides displaying an inherent colorant capacity, was equally effective as a natural antioxidant displaying peroxy-radical scavenger ability in pork meat. Betanin should be considered a multi-functional molecule able to confer an attractive color to frozen or refrigerated foods, but with the capacity to avoid lipid oxidation, thereby preserving food quality. Long-term supplementation by beetroot, a rich source of betanin, should be stimulated to protect organisms against oxidative stress.

Highlights

Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) is a vegetable presenting significant scientific interest, mainly because it is a rich source of nitrate (NO3 − ), a compound with beneficial cardiovascular health effects, through the endogen production of nitric oxide (NO) [1]
Betanin is found in large amounts relative to its isobetanin isomer in fresh beetroot juice, which is similar to the ratio between betanin and isobetanin previously reported by Gonçalves et al [17]
After purification an high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-diode array detector (DAD) analysis indicated a single peak at the maximum absorption λ (535–540 nm), characteristic for betacyanins (Figure 1C)

Summary

Introduction

Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) is a vegetable presenting significant scientific interest, mainly because it is a rich source of nitrate (NO3 − ), a compound with beneficial cardiovascular health effects, through the endogen production of nitric oxide (NO) [1]. Beetroots are the main source of betalains, a heterocyclic compound and water-soluble nitrogen pigment, which can be subdivided into two classes according to their chemical structure: betacyanins, such as betanin, prebetanin, isobetanin and neobetanin, responsible for red-violet coloring, and betaxanthins, responsible for orange-yellow coloring, comprising vulgaxanthin I and II and indicaxanthin [2,3]. Betalains are present in the tuberous part of beetroots, conferring its red-purple coloration. Betanin (betanidin 5-O-β-D-glucoside) is the most abundant betacyanin and the only one approved for use as a natural colorant in food products, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, under code EEC. Regulations (CFR) stipulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States [4,5,6]

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