Beet Juice Extract

Beet juice extract is readily soluble in water providing an intense color. In solution, the hue is ph dependent. At ph 4 to 5, it is a bright bluish-red and probably the closest match to fd&c red no. 2. At higher ph, the hue becomes blue-violet, while on the alkaline side betanin breaks down to a yellow-brown. Beet juice extract functions best between ph 4 and 7. It is sold on the basis of betanin content, which can vary from 0.3 to 1% for the liquid, and about half as much for the powder. It is sensitive to heat processing. The products successfully colored with beet juice would be ones with short shelf-life requirements (such as ice cream, cake icings, mixes, yogurt); sold in a dry state (such as gelatin desserts, fruit chews, gravies, and sauces); packaged to reduce light exposure, oxygen and humidity (such as foil pouched soups, powdered health beverages), and do not require prolonged heating such as frozen products, chewable tablets and pharmaceutical elixirs.