Helmsley-Supported Research Finds Pigments Made by Beets May Help Boost Resistance to Disease & Nutrition Value of Crops
Color in the plant kingdom is not merely a joy to the eye. Colored pigments attract pollinating insects, they protect plants against disease, and they confer health benefits and are used in the food and drug industries. A new study conducted at the Weizmann Institute of Science, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, has now opened the way to numerous potential uses of betalains, the highly nutritious red-violet and yellow pigments known for their antioxidant properties and commonly used as food dyes.
Betalains are made by cactus fruit, flowers such as bougainvillea and certain edible plants - most notably, beets. They are relatively rare in nature, compared to the two other major groups of plant pigments, and until recently, their synthesis in plants was poorly understood. Prof. Asaph Aharoni of Weizmann's Plant and Environmental Sciences Department and Dr. Guy Polturak, then a research student, along with other team members, used two betalain-producing plants - red beet (Beta vulgaris) and four o'clock flowers (Mirabilis jalapa) - in their analysis. Using next-generation RNA sequencing and other advanced technologies, the researchers identified a previously unknown gene involved in betalain synthesis and revealed which biochemical reactions plants use to convert the amino acid tyrosine into betalains. . .