Characterization of major betalain pigments -gomphrenin, betanin and isobetanin from Basella rubra L. fruit and evaluation of efficacy as a natural colourant in product (ice cream) development

Abstract

Basella rubra L. (Basellaceae) commonly known as Malabar spinach is a leafy vegetable which accumulates pigments in its fruits. To find out the feasibility of utilizing pigment rich extracts of its fruit as natural food colourant, fruits at different stages were analysed for pigment profiling, carbohydrate content, physical dimensions and weight. Total betalains content increased rapidly from early (green) through intermediate (half-done red-violet) to matured stage (red-violet). Maximum pigment content was observed in ripened fruits (143.76 mg/100 g fresh weight). The major betalain pigment characterized was gomphrenin I in ripened fruits (26.06 mg), followed by intermediate fruits (2.15 mg) and least in early fruits (0.23 mg) in 100 g of fresh deseeded fruits. Total carbohydrates content and the chroma values (redness) were also increased during ontogeny of B. rubra fruits. The textural characters of developing fruits showed the smoothness of green fruits with lower rupture force (0.16 N/s) than ripe ones (0.38 N/s). The pigment-rich fruit extract was used as natural colourant in ice-cream, to evaluate its effect on physicochemical properties and acceptability of the product. After six months of storage at −20°C, 86.63 % colour was retained in ice-cream. The ice-cream had good overall sensorial quality and was liked by consumers indicating that addition of B. rubra fruit extract did not alter the sensory quality of the product. The colour values also indicate that there was no significant decrease of this pigment-rich extracts of fruits for its incorporation in food products.

Phytoconstituents and stability of betalains in fruit extracts of Malabar spinach (Basella rubra L.)

“…As betalains are considered as an alternative for synthetic colourants in the food industry due to its positive effects on health (Lin et al 2010;Khan et al 2012) and also finds use in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry as reviewed (Khan 2015). The betalains identification and characterization during ontogeny of B. rubra fruit extracts by HPLC and MS was reported (Kumar et al 2015d). Interestingly, many plants accumulate betalains, but only two (B. vulgaris and the prickly pear Opuntia ficus-indica) are approved to be used in food (Delgado-Varges and Lopez 2002).…”

LC-MS Analysis of Phenolic Acids, Flavonoids and Betanin from Spineless <i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> Fruits

“…Our result is too much higher than the findings of Tesoriere and co-authors [5] (12.1 mg/Kg) as well as those of Buteraand co-workers [20] (10.4 mg/Kg). The observed difference may be due to the ripeness state of the collected samples, their provenance and the harvest season [21][22][23].…”

Encapsulation, Properties, and Thermal Study of Red Biocolorant from Selected Plants Obtained Through Physical Extraction

“…The red spinach, beetroot, and red dragon fruit are known to have dominancy of betalains on its stems, leaves, and roots. It consists of red-violet betacyanins and yellow betaxanthins groups, which absorb light near the maxima at 535 nm and 480 nm, respectively [19]- [21]. The diversity in composition and content of pigment fractions on both groups, as determined by genetic information, steps of growth/maturity, as well as environmental factors, will result in color variety.…”