Magenta leaf extract as potential food violet color solution

01 Apr Magenta leaf extract as potential food violet color solution

Magenta leaf (Peristrophe roxburghiana) is an herbaceous plant, have been located in many countries including Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. In Vietnam, the magenta leaves was called ”la cam” and widely applied in their traditional foods and medicines. In those food applications, magenta leaf usually be cooked to extract the bright magenta/violet shade.

The magenta leaf extract had an excellent bright violet shade that the food industry is looking for. The main soluble ingredients belongs to pyranocyanidin group ((d)-4’-sucxinoyl-3-rhamnozyl-(4H,5H) pyranocyanidin, (e)- 4’-maloyl-3-rhamnozyl-(4H, 5H) pyranocyanidin, (f)- 4’-oxaloyl-3-rhamnozyl-(4H, 5H) pyranopeonidin and (g)- 4’-sinpoyl-3-glucozyl-(4H, 5H)).

Lack of natural violet solution

Natural violet color is among the most difficult color shades to attain. The most widely used violet shade is anthocyanin-derived colors, such as grape-skin extract, but there are several limitations involved in the usage of these colors. Another popular choice that could be opted by food ingredient suppliers is to offer the mixture of natural red color with natural blue colors, but these options are, to a certain extend, limited as well. Those solutions can be restrained by low pH range, significantly high cost-in-use, high price, short shelf-life stability, and heat stability alike.

The constraint of natural violet colors, and the complexity of mixing natural red colors can be overcome with magenta leaf extract. Magenta leaf extract has high yield color extraction (up to 20% of total leaf weight), simple extraction process (can be extracted by alcohol/water), good stability under heat condition, and final shade are bright violet which can be well applied in various food applications.