Absence of mutagenic activity and a short-term toxicity study of beet pigments as food colorants.

Beet colorant was tested for mutagenic activity in five S. typhimurium strains. The absence of mutagenic activity was found with or without S-9 rat liver fractions. Groups of six rats were fed red beet colorant preparations containing 2,000 ppm betalains in the diet for 7 days. No significant differences were noted in body weight gains, feed consumption, or gross pathological alterations compared to the controls. These preliminary toxicological results indicate the potential usage of betalain pigments as a food colorant, but further long term investigations are warranted.