A team at the Tokyo University of Science and Iwate Biotechnology Research Center have successfully genetically engineered tomatoes to produce the plant pigment betalain with significant anti-inflammatory effects.
The EU ban on titanium dioxide has created harmonisation across the bloc for food and supplements, but the colour is still legal in the UK as well as in medicine products, plus there is the challenge of reformulation.
A newly-discovered class of colouring pigments called auronidins could open doors for the development of more stable and intense natural, plant-based food and beverage colourants.