Betalain

Betalains are water-soluble nitrogen-containing pigments found in plants, especially Caryophyllales. The class includes red-violet betacyanins and yellow-orange betaxanthins.

Betacyanin: A red-violet class of betalain pigments formed from betalamic acid and cyclo-DOPA derivatives. This family supplies the red and purple hues associated with betalain-rich plants.
Tyrosine: An amino acid that plants use as a precursor in betalain biosynthesis. Plant enzymes convert tyrosine into the intermediates from which betalains are made.
Beetroot: The edible taproot of Beta vulgaris, commonly deep red or purple from betacyanin pigments. Beetroot is a familiar food source whose characteristic color comes from abundant betalains.
Caryophyllales: An order of flowering plants that includes cacti, amaranths, and many other lineages. Most known betalain-producing plants belong to this order.
Betaxanthin: A yellow-to-orange class of betalain pigments formed from betalamic acid and amino acids or amines. Its amino-acid-derived structures distinguish the yellow side of the betalain family.
DOPA 4,5-dioxygenase: An enzyme that cleaves L-DOPA to form betalamic acid in betalain biosynthesis. It generates the shared chromophore precursor at the center of betalain production.
Pitaya: The fruit of several cactus species, some of which have vividly colored betalain-rich flesh or peel. Red-fleshed pitaya illustrates betalain pigmentation beyond beetroot.
Amaranthaceae: A family of flowering plants that includes beets, amaranths, and numerous betalain-producing species. Several familiar betalain sources, including beet, are members of this family.
Betalamic acid: A yellow chromophore that serves as the common structural unit of betalain pigments. Betalamic acid combines with different molecules to produce both major betalain families.
CYP76AD1: A cytochrome P450 enzyme involved in producing cyclo-DOPA from L-DOPA in betalain-producing plants. Its product supplies the structural partner that converts betalamic acid into betacyanins.

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