Betalain: Extraction and Analysis

Abstract

Betalains are natural pigments found in certain plants. They can be divided into two major structural groups i.e. the red-violet betacyanins and the yellow-orange betaxanthins. The basic structure of betalain is immonium derivatives of betalamic acid with cyclo-dopa and amino acids or amines. Betalains can be extracted by various solvents such as water, acetone, methanol and ethanol mixture solution (20-80%). Extraction solvent in combination with acids has the potential to achieve complete extraction. Betalain purification has been carried out with solid phase extraction, ion-exchange and/or gel filtration chromatography. For the quantification and identification of unknown betalain, UV-visible spectroscopy and High Performance Liquid Chromatography are widely used in food industry and researches.