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Agriculture
Volume 15
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10.3390/agriculture15010086
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Article

Valorization of Betalain Pigments Extracted from Phytolacca americana L. Berries as Natural Colorant in Cheese Formulation

by
Ionuț Dumitru Veleșcu
1,
Ioana Cristina Crivei
1,
Andreea Bianca Balint
1,
Vlad Nicolae Arsenoaia
2,
Alexandru Dragoș Robu
3,
Florina Stoica
2 and
Roxana Nicoleta Rațu
1,*
1
Department of Food Technologies, Faculty of Agriculture, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” Iasi University of Life Sciences, 3 Mihail Sadoveanu Alley, 700490 Iasi, Romania
2
Department of Pedotechnics, Faculty of Agriculture, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” Iasi University of Life Sciences, 3 Mihail Sadoveanu Alley, 700490 Iasi, Romania
3
Department of AgroEconomy, Faculty of Agriculture, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” Iasi University of Life Sciences, 3 Mihail Sadoveanu Alley, 700490 Iasi, Romania
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agriculture 2025, 15(1), 86; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15010086
Submission received: 26 November 2024 / Revised: 25 December 2024 / Accepted: 31 December 2024 / Published: 2 January 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Assessment and Processing of Farm Animal Products)
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Abstract

In response to consumer demand for more sustainable and health-conscious products, the food sector is increasingly shifting towards the use of natural additives. Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana L.) is a medicinal plant that contains valuable biologically active compounds, including betacyanins, which serve as its red pigments, along with phenolic acids, flavonoids, polyphenolic compounds, and others. Phytolacca americana (P. americana) is a plant renowned for its bioactive compounds, which exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, antioxidant, anticancer, and antibacterial properties. This study investigates the potential of betalain pigments extracted from the berries of P. americana as a natural colorant for cheese formulation. The impact of these pigments on the color attributes, sensory qualities, and physicochemical and phytochemical composition of the cheeses was systematically evaluated. The Phytolacca americana (PA) powder demonstrated significant levels of total polyphenols (111.95 ± 1.60 mg GAE/g dw) and antioxidant activity (21.67 ± 0.19 µmol TE/g dw). The incorporation of PA powder increased the physicochemical and phytochemical contents and antioxidant activity in the final product (4.40 ± 0.22 µmol TE/g dw for CPAP1 and 6.11 ± 0.22 µmol TE/g dw for CPAP2). The sensory study revealed that the PA-supplemented cheeses were acceptable. The enhanced cheeses present a distinctive color profile, attracting health-conscious consumers looking for innovative dairy products. The study concludes that PA powder can effectively enhance cheese, producing a phytochemical-enriched product that appeals to health-conscious consumers.
Keywords: Phytolacca americana; antioxidant activity; pigments; food ingredients; functional cheese Phytolacca americana; antioxidant activity; pigments; food ingredients; functional cheese

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MDPI and ACS Style

Veleșcu, I.D.; Crivei, I.C.; Balint, A.B.; Arsenoaia, V.N.; Robu, A.D.; Stoica, F.; Rațu, R.N. Valorization of Betalain Pigments Extracted from Phytolacca americana L. Berries as Natural Colorant in Cheese Formulation. Agriculture 2025, 15, 86. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15010086

AMA Style

Veleșcu ID, Crivei IC, Balint AB, Arsenoaia VN, Robu AD, Stoica F, Rațu RN. Valorization of Betalain Pigments Extracted from Phytolacca americana L. Berries as Natural Colorant in Cheese Formulation. Agriculture. 2025; 15(1):86. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15010086

Chicago/Turabian Style

Veleșcu, Ionuț Dumitru, Ioana Cristina Crivei, Andreea Bianca Balint, Vlad Nicolae Arsenoaia, Alexandru Dragoș Robu, Florina Stoica, and Roxana Nicoleta Rațu. 2025. "Valorization of Betalain Pigments Extracted from Phytolacca americana L. Berries as Natural Colorant in Cheese Formulation" Agriculture 15, no. 1: 86. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15010086

APA Style

Veleșcu, I. D., Crivei, I. C., Balint, A. B., Arsenoaia, V. N., Robu, A. D., Stoica, F., & Rațu, R. N. (2025). Valorization of Betalain Pigments Extracted from Phytolacca americana L. Berries as Natural Colorant in Cheese Formulation. Agriculture, 15(1), 86. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15010086

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