It provides a natural food coloring . It gives nurseries another ornamental to grow and sell , and it might provide health benefits to those who eat it with their intellectual nourishment . It is the Butterfly Pea , and University of Florida researchers are read the bloom to see if it will arise in Florida .
Much of what we eat every day contains added people of color , and those blues , reds and yellows are O.K. by the Food and Drug Administration . But they ’re synthetic , and progressively , consumer want innate additives , UF researchers say .
“ At the UF / IFAS Mid - Florida Research and Education Center ( MREC ) , we are conduct enquiry to position Florida nurserymen and growers to go the industry in using edible plants and flowers as food colorants and additives , ” said Brian Pearson , an assistant professor of environmental gardening at the center . “ As consumers continue to move away from synthetic and toward natural ingredients , the opportunities for Florida agriculture are dateless . ”
Toward the natural food - coloring goal , UF / IFAS researchers are study the Butterfly Pea , a prime that ’s native to Southeast Asia and is a non - aboriginal alien plant life in Florida . to boot , the Butterfly Pea contains anthocyanin , one of the more common antioxidants , making it potentially beneficial to the consumer ’s health , UF / IFAS researchers say .
Pearson supervises the thesis of Sean Campbell , a doctoral student major in environmental horticulture in the UF / IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences . As part of his dissertation , Campbell conduct a lit review , which resulted in this new UF / IFAS Extension written document on Butterfly Pea as a food for thought colorant .
Campbell comes to his research on the Butterfly Pea from the UF / IFAS food scientific discipline and human alimentation department , where he clear unmarried man ’s and master key ’s grade . There , he conducted discernment - test panels , among his many student activities . In the food - tasting research lab at the UF main campus in Gainesville , Florida , Campbell said he trip into the estimation of attempt to find more lifelike food coloring .
“ There ’s a need for , and an interest in , solid food colorants , ” Campbell read , summon late media written report that focalise on consumers ’ increase desire for their food to be colour with a natural paint .
Pearson agree , adding : “ It ’s unique . It ’s a niche product . Let ’s see if we can grow it . This harvest fits in well with our other specialness crops . ”
Research into the Butterfly Pea is part of the gravid portfolio of medicinal and beverage plant inquiry at UF / IFAS MREC in Apopka , Florida . There , scientists are also canvas hops and skullcap , among other industrial plant miscellanea .
“ These crops tap into product that are in sync with larger demand , which can guide to switch and profitable crop for Florida ’s farmers , ” Pearson said .
origin : University of Florida ( Brad Buck )
