WILD Facts
Beet (E162)
termed Beta vulgaris, is an annual
root vegetable of the goosefoot
family Chenopodiaceae.
The name "beet" comes from the
fact that when the seed pods
swell, they look like the Greek
letter "beta."
Cultivation
Beets thrive in almost any
climate and are grown as a
fall, late winter, and early
spring crop.
The pigments in beets are
collectively known as
betalains, which consist
of two sub-classes –
betacyanins (red pigments)
and betaxanthins (yellow
pigments). Both are water soluble
and produced in abundance for use
as an established colorant in foods
and pharmaceuticals.
Very large quantities of beetroot are
grown annually in Western Europe,
most of which is either consumed as a
food additive or as a conserve. About
10% is converted into juice and color.
Processing
Most countries allow two or three
commercial color preparations from
red beets.
In the United States, there are numerous
other plant sources containing betalain
colorants, however use of red beets
is restricted to vegetable juice, juice
concentrate or powder.
Beetroots are processed into vegetable
juice in a manner similar to that used for
fruit juice production, using either pressing
or diffusion techniques. The juice is then
centrifuged, pasteurized and concentrated
to yield a viscous liquid juice concentrate.
This concentrated beetroot juice is widely
used as a food ingredient (regulated by
FDA in 21CFR 73.260).
Commonly spray dried with maltodextrin
as a carrier, this vegetable juice is
referred to as dehydrated beet or beet
powder (exempt from certification
according to 21CFR 73.40).
Delivering Innovative Flavor, Color, Ingredient Systems and Process Technology Solutions for the Food and Beverage Industry
WILD Flavors, Inc. • 1261 Pacific Avenue • Erlanger, KY 41018 • (888) WILD-Flavors or (859) 342-3600 • Fax (859) 342-
Beet
History
The beet, originally grown only for its
leaves, is native to Europe and North
Africa and dates back to prehistoric times.
Historic tales say that when the Greeks
paid homage to Apollo, they served him
beetroots on a silver platter. But the first
recorded reference to beets is not found
until the third century in Rome. Ancient
civilizations along the shores of the
Mediterranean Sea grew beets for the
medicinal quality of their tops.
During the 16th century, beets were
transported from France to Germany.
Like the Romans, beets eventually were
brought across the English Channel
and, from there, were moved to more
fertile country in the New World.
3610
Since the 18th century, selective
and commercial breeding has
raised the root’s sucrose content
from between 2 and 4% to 15%,
and even as high as 20%.
Today, beets and beet dishes are
still popular throughout Europe
and also used as a colorant for
various applications.
Applications
The susceptibility of the betanin
color pigments in beetroot to
heat, oxygen, light and high
water activity sometimes
restricts its use as a food
colorant. Betanin typically
cannot survive the hot-fill
process for beverages or
candies, standing to lose its
color and change shade.
Considering these limitations,
beetroot juices and the further
processed beetroot colors are ideal
for use in products that have either a
short shelf life or low water activity, and
are packaged for minimal exposure to
light, oxygen and high humidity. Ice
cream and powdered beverages are the
most important application of betanin.
Most of the world’s strawberry flavored
ice cream contains betanin either from
beetroot juice or beetroot color.
Further commercial and other use of
betanin is the coloration of some sugar
confectionery products such as fondants,
sugar strands, sugar coatings and fruit
or cream fillings, dry mixes, sauces,
salad dressings, seasoning bases, soup
mixes, instant desserts and snack
foods.
Beet juice can be used successfully in
hot, processed candies if added at the
end of the process.
Beet powder has good to excellent
stability in the applications of coloring
dry-mix beverages – even in the pres-
ence of oxygen.