Microwave and ultrasonic methods extract betacyanin from dragon fruit peel, supporting natural colorant use.
Natural colorants derived from plant pigments are increasingly favored for their safety in food applications. Among them, betacyanin—a purple-red pigment found in various plants—has gained attention for its antioxidant properties and health benefits. This study aimed to extract betacyanin from dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) peel using microwave and ultrasonic-assisted methods and to evaluate the pigment's stability after spray drying. The extraction yields were 17.26 ± 0.036 mg/100 g for the microwave method and 17.71±0.075 mg/100 g for the ultrasonic method. Spray drying at 150°C with a flow rate of 10 rpm preserved a high betacyanin content of 16.62±0.24 mg/100 g. Utilizing dragon fruit peel not only contributes to waste valorization and environmental sustainability but also supports the development of natural food colorants and functional ingredients with potential health benefits.
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Thinh et al. (2025) studied this question.
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