Which pigment is chiefly responsible for the red-violet colour of beetroot?

Concept

Natural pigments are coloured compounds produced by organisms. Plant pigments belong to different chemical families and absorb particular wavelengths, which gives tissues their characteristic colours.

Betalains are water-soluble, nitrogen-containing plant pigments. Their red-violet subgroup is called betacyanins, while their yellow subgroup is called betaxanthins.

Application

Beetroot stores red-violet betalain pigments in its tissues. Betanin is the principal betacyanin associated with this colour, so the matching pigment is Betanin.

Contrast

• Ultramarine is a deep-blue inorganic aluminosilicate pigment.

• Prussian blue is a synthetic dark-blue iron-cyanide coordination pigment.

• Ochre is an earth pigment coloured mainly by iron oxides and hydroxides.

Result

Therefore, the pigment chiefly responsible for the red-violet colour of beetroot is Betanin.