Developing Designer Foods of Beta Vulgaris

Beet root is a potential source of valuable water-soluble nitrogenous pigments, called betalains, which comprise two main groups, the red betacyanins and the yellow betaxanthins. They are free radical scavengers and prevent active oxygen- induced and free radical-mediated oxidation of biological molecules. Betalains have been extensively used in the modern food industry. They are one of the most important natural colorants and are also one of the earliest natural colorants developed for the use in food systems. A more recent investigation showed that total phenolics content decreases in the order peel (50%), crown (37%), and flesh (13%). The peel carries the main portion of betalains with up to 54%, their content being lower in crown and flesh. This book reveals the processing of beet root peels by osmotic dehydration methods using salt and sugar solution and formulation of designer food products using Response Surface Methodology technique.