Beet juice color
Beet juice color is concentrated red beet (Beta vulgaris) juice used to color food. Its red-violet color comes from betalains, chiefly betanin, which are stable across a wide pH range but sensitive to heat, light and oxygen. Suppliers press and concentrate the juice or spray-dry it, and sell liquids and powders standardized by betanin or color value for yogurt, frozen desserts, meat alternatives and confectionery.
Suppliers sell different products under the same name. Specify the one you need.
Beet juice concentrate at a stated Brix and color value for dairy, frozen desserts and beverages.
Spray-dried beet juice on a carrier such as maltodextrin for dry mixes and coatings.
Whole dehydrated beets milled to powder, a separate US color additive listing.
Grades where sugars are partly fermented or removed to concentrate the color and reduce earthy flavor.
Concentrates from organic beets, offered by several suppliers.
Compare each result with your own specification when the lot arrives.
Betalains degrade with heat, light and oxygen, so store beet juice color cool or refrigerated, sealed and dark. Powders should be kept dry and sealed. Shelf life is set by the supplier specification, with color value retested on aged stock.
Betanin content and earthy flavor vary with beet variety and harvest, so record color value, Brix and pH per lot. Rotate first-expired, first-out because color drops over time.
Facts from regulators and standards bodies, each linked to its source.
21 CFR 73.260 lists vegetable juice, expressed from fresh edible vegetables or made by water infusion of dried vegetables, as a color additive for coloring foods generally, exempt from certification; the section does not name specific vegetables.
Source: ecfr.gov (opens in a new tab)21 CFR 73.40 separately lists dehydrated beets (beet powder), made by dehydrating edible beets, as a color additive for coloring foods generally.
Source: ecfr.gov (opens in a new tab)Health Canada's List of Permitted Colouring Agents includes beet red (item B.1).
Source: canada.ca (opens in a new tab)This is general information, not regulatory advice. Status differs by country and by how the ingredient is used, so check the rules for your product and market.
Manufacturers and distributors whose own websites say they sell it.
Manufacturer · Hellerup, Denmark
Danish producer of natural food colors (formerly the Chr. Hansen natural colors division), with colors from spirulina, black carrot, red radish, sweet potato, red beet and jagua fruit for food and beverage makers.
Manufacturer · St. Louis, MO
North American food color business of Sensient Technologies, making certified FD&C dyes and lakes alongside natural colors from sources such as beet juice, carmine, annatto, spirulina and butterfly pea flower.
Suppliers are in alphabetical order and none pays to appear. Each claim is checked against the supplier’s own website on the date shown. Ask for the specification sheet and a recent COA before you order, and confirm details with the supplier.
Common forms include liquid concentrate, powder, dehydrated beet powder, low-sugar or fermented and organic. Ask each supplier for the specification sheet of the exact grade they quote.
Expect betanin or color value, brix and pH, nitrate, heavy metals and microbiology, each with its method, specification and result for that lot.
Betalains degrade with heat, light and oxygen, so store beet juice color cool or refrigerated, sealed and dark. Powders should be kept dry and sealed. Shelf life is set by the supplier specification, with color value retested on aged stock.
21 CFR 73.260 lists vegetable juice, expressed from fresh edible vegetables or made by water infusion of dried vegetables, as a color additive for coloring foods generally, exempt from certification; the section does not name specific vegetables. 21 CFR 73.40 separately lists dehydrated beets (beet powder), made by dehydrating edible beets, as a color additive for coloring foods generally. Health Canada's List of Permitted Colouring Agents includes beet red (item B.1).
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