Red Color?

[YT2095]

as some of you are already aware, growing Chili peppers is a hobby of mine.

 

now I know that Chlorophil is the Green color in plants

and Xanthophil is the Yellow colow.

but what is the Red color?

[ecoli]

Caroteniods range in color from orange to red. Most likely, though, it's a mix of pigments. You could do a simple paper chromotography to find out.

 

edit: I did some more research, it's acutally Lycopene.

 

Lycopene is the red pigment met in red fruits and vegetables, such as: red peppers, pimientos, tomatoes, apples, red onion, pink grapefruit, watermelon, guavas etc. It helps improving short and long term memory, protects and prevents from heart disorders and some types of cancer. It is extremely beneficial against the prostate and testicles and prevents skin, cervical, breast and prostate cancer. Besides the antioxidant properties, lycopene is also a detoxifier of the waste in the body and inhibits cholesterol formation.

 

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Plant-Pigments-Enhance-Iron-Absorption-34897.shtml

[YT2095]

Wow! thnx Ecoli, yer a Diamond!

[ecoli]

Wow! thnx Ecoli, yer a Diamond!

 

no problem. I'm actually glad you asked because I would have never have found that article otherwise. It seems that the links between certain plant pigment and cancer prevention/overall good nutrition are pretty strong. I'm definately going to start eating more peppers.

[Bluenoise]

Caroteniods range in color from orange to red. Most likely, though, it's a mix of pigments. You could do a simple paper chromotography to find out.

 

edit: I did some more research, it's acutally Lycopene.

 

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Plant-Pigments-Enhance-Iron-Absorption-34897.shtml

 

While not wrong I'd also like to point out that Red may also be caused by other compounds. Anthocyanins are a very common red pigment.

 

The health benefits are true! However, not only limited to Red colours.

 

Virtually all brightly coloured fruits/vegetables contain pigments with these properties. The best idea is to eat a mix of as many different colours as possible.

 

Reds Lycopene, anthocyanins... (peppers, tomatoes, beets, red apples...)

Oranges/yellows carotenoids (carrots, mangoes...)

Greens chlorophyll (spinach, green apples, kiwi, broccoli...)

Blue/purple anthocyanins (BLUE BERRIES!!!, egg plant...)

White anthoxanthins (Bananas, Coliflower, Mushrooms...)

 

http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/yf/foods/fn595w.htm

 

So for maximum benefit try to eat a rainbow of vegetables/fruits.

 

Oh and on other note I'd like to point out that eating supplements that contain these chemicals doesn't seem to provide any benefit. For whatever reason only obtaining them in fruit/vegetable form has been proven to provide health benefits. Why this is so is debatable. It could be that we're totally missing the point and these colourful antioxidants don't provide any benefit and it's something else in the plants. Or maybe the plants contain other chemicals that help them act/absorbe.

[talishao]

As my research

 

I got that it is "Lycopene".