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Beet Root Information

The beetroot (Beta vulgaris vulgaris), also called the beet root or beet, is a subspecies of beet, a root vegetable found across the world. First cultivated long ago in the time of the ancients, it is still eaten today, and is used in animal farming and the food industry.

  1. Features

    • Beetroot is a part of the amaranth family (Amaranthaceae), the same family that spinach belongs to. It is an herbaceous biennial, sometimes a perennial. It has stems that grow 3.28 to 6.56 feet, and heart-shaped leaves that grow 1.96 to 7.87 inches tall. It has spikes of flowers, the flowers themselves having five petals that are reddish or green.

    Color

    • The root itself is a round purple red color. This color comes from betalain pigments, the two main types being betacyanin (which causes purple pigment) and betaxanthin (which causes yellow color). These pigments are contained in cell vacuoles.

      The root of the beetroot changes in color and hardness as it ages. The older the beetroot is the deeper red color it will be and the softer texture it will have.

    Function

    • All parts of the beetroot plant are edible. Beetroot may be eaten raw or processed, such as cooking or pickling. In the animal farming industry it is given to animals as feed.

      Betanin, a food coloring, is made using beet root. It is used in sweet and savory foods to improve color such as tomato paste, jelly and breakfast cereals.

    Benefits

    • The beetroot contains vitamin A, C B1, B2, B3, B6, iron, manganese, calcium, copper, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, iodine and boron. It also contains nitrate, and has no cholesterol.

      In addition to being nutritious beetroot is known to lower blood pressure, acting as a preventative for cardiovascular issues. It believed that the nitrate in the beetroot causes the blood pressure to lower.

      The coloring pigments in beetroot, the betalians, may act as an anti-cancer substance. These same pigments are also antioxidants.

    Considerations

    • In the December 1993 issue of Pharmacogenetics, A.R. Watts, et al, state that 10 to 14 percent of the population who eat beetroot may be afflicted with beeturia, red or pink colored urine. This coloring is harmless, and is caused by betacyanin, a pigment, which certain people cannot break down. Once the betacyanin has passed through the system, the waste returns to its normal color.

    History

    • The beetroot is supposed to have originated around the Mediterranean. This is due to the fact that the sea beet, the ancestor of the modern beetroot, is found across that area. People started cultivating the beetroot thousands of years ago, and this practice spread eastward to Babylonia and eventually Asia.

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