A 100% natural blue pigment found in red cabbage.

🦋 Blue is probably one of the most popular colors.

The elements that appear blue to us can absorb the red spectrum of white light. The molecules allowing the absorption of this spectrum are quite rare in nature.

👨‍🔬 For years scientists have been forced to use artificial dyes and chemicals to create all our favorite blue products including candy, drinks, cosmetics and clothing.

☠️ Artificial or synthetic food coloring is made from petrochemicals that are harmful to the environment and our health.

🌿 As the world begins to massively use natural dyes, the biggest challenge has been to figure out how to naturally obtain one of the world's most popular colors: blue.

👩‍🔬 Pamela Denish is a graduate of the Institute for Food and Health Innovation at the @ucdavis. She leads a team of international researchers who may have found a solution in a simple vegetable.

📚 In a study published in the Science Advances journal, the researchers show how red cabbage could be the answer to naturally producing cyan shades. It is already frequently used to create natural red and purple food dyes.

🥬 For the past decade these scientists have been trying to isolate blue anthocyanins, in other words, the dyes in red cabbage. But the natural blue dye is only present in very small quantities.

👉 To achieve this, the researchers finally found an enzyme that could increase the quantity of blue anthocyanins produced by red cabbage.

🔵 With the right enzyme, the researchers were able to produce the blue dye in sufficient quantities for use in the food industry.

📊 In tests, the blue dye was retained for 30 days.

🌀 Although this new blue pigment is promising, it will have to pass many tests before it reaches our plates.

👍 Nevertheless, the project represents a quantum leap in the elimination of the artificial blue dye, E133, called Brilliant Blue FCF.