In addition to being a natural colorant, purple sweet potato red pigment also has certain physiological functions due to its structural characteristics.
Anti-mutagenicity
The mutagenicity of Salmonella (Salmonellatyphimyrium TA98) was studied using purified purple sweet potato anthocyanins, and it was found that the purified purple sweet potato anthocyanins have strong Resistance to mutations.
Antioxidant effect
The peroxidation of lipids and the free radical reaction of reactive oxygen species can lead to oxidative damage to human cells, aging, carcinogenesis, arteriosclerosis and many other diseases. Related to oxidation reactions in the body. By consuming foods with antioxidant capabilities, many diseases can be prevented.
Anthocyanins have strong antioxidant activity and are a good oxygen free radical scavenger. The main active group for the antioxidant effect of anthocyanins is the phenolic hydroxyl group in the molecule. There are multiple phenolic hydroxyl groups in the structure of PSPC, which is a hydroxyl donor and a free radical scavenger. It can not only combine with proteins to prevent peroxidation, but also provide protons to effectively remove lipid free radicals, cut off the chain reaction of lipid oxidation, and prevent lipid peroxidation. Jiang Pingping conducted an in vitro antioxidant activity study on purple sweet potato anthocyanins and found that purple sweet potato anthocyanins showed considerable reducing power and the ability to scavenge hydroxyl radicals in an in vitro reactive oxygen species model, and were directly proportional to the concentration. In addition, PSPC also has the ability to resist Fe-induced peroxidation of lecithin liposomes and inhibit red blood cell hemolysis caused by H2O2.
Ling Guanting and others have compared the juice components of orange sweet potatoes (rich in β-carotene) and purple sweet potatoes and found that purple sweet potatoes have strong superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Comparing the ability of the two to scavenge free oxygen O2, the results proved that purple sweet potato juice has a stronger O2 scavenging ability than orange sweet potato juice rich in β-carotene.
Alleviate liver dysfunction
Purple sweet potato juice can alleviate liver dysfunction in rats and humans. In vivo tests on rats and humans have found that purple sweet potato juice can significantly alleviate liver dysfunction. Various liver dysfunctions in rats induced by carbon tetrachloride. Some data show that for patients with high liver function and a disease duration of less than five years, through quantitative use of purple sweet potato juice, various liver function indicators have declined, with an average decrease of 22%.
Anti-tumor function
Cancer is a major disease that threatens human life and health. The carcinogenesis process of human cells is an extremely complex and long process, affected by a variety of internal and external environments and physical and chemical factors. The key is the change of various enzymes in the body. Cancer is scary because of its ability to infiltrate surrounding tissue and metastasize to other parts of the body.
The prediction of human cancer is related to tumor growth to a certain extent, but mainly depends on the invasiveness of the tumor and the number of tumor cells metastasized. It is generally believed that agents that inhibit collagen degradation may inhibit the invasion and metastasis of tumor cells. Because anthocyanins can promote the synthesis of collagen, increase the resistance of collagen, and inhibit the activity of collagenase, and PSPC is an anthocyanin substance, it is speculated that PSPC can inhibit the invasion and metastasis of tumor cells and has anti-tumor effects. Function.
In addition to the above functions, PSPC also has anti-hyperglycemic function and has a certain effect on cardiovascular diseases.
Anti-hyperglycemic function
Japanese scholars isolated a diacyl anthocyanin from the roots of purple sweet potato I pomoea batatas L.c v. A yamurasaki, which can pass through α-glucoside enzyme inhibition to lower blood sugar. The minimum dose of 10 mg/kg of this diacyl anthocyanin can reduce blood sugar levels in the human body. Application in the food industry
In the eyes of consumers, it has an attractive color and is an important sensory indicator of food. It can attract consumers by stimulating the secretion of digestive juices and increasing appetite. However, natural foods are easy to fade or change color during processing and preservation. Therefore, in order to improve the color of food, food coloring is often added during processing to improve its sensory properties.
As the toxic and side effects of chemically synthesized pigments receive more and more attention, the application of natural pigments has become an inevitable development trend. In the process of direct extraction from purple sweet potato, PSPC does not use any means or agents that will cause harmful changes in the pigment, making it a natural and non-toxic product. According to joint FAO/WHO regulations, it can be used as a safe and non-toxic food additive, and its dosage is not limited to meet the required coloring degree. Because of its good heat resistance, it can withstand pasteurization in the food industry, and it is alcohol-soluble and water-soluble. It can be used as a red to purple colorant for food and added to water-based foods such as ice cream and milk. It can be used in finished beverages, juice drinks, cheese, aquatic products, jelly, cereals and other foods, as well as for salad decoration, etc.
Lu Guoquan and others once added PSPC directly to commercially available "Kongfujiajiu" liquor, "West Lake" beer, "Taiyi" mineral water and "Sprite" carbonated drinks, and found that an appropriate amount of PSPC can make The color of the drink is uniform and beautiful, clear and translucent. Even if it is left indoors for 90 days, there is almost no change in appearance, except for a slight reduction in optical density. Bassa I A and others have proven through experiments that the stability of sweet potato anthocyanins in beverages exceeds commercial pigments (Enocyanin) and blackberry pigments. And because of its good light resistance, food colored by PSPC does not need to be packaged with light-shielding materials.
In addition, taking natural plant extracts as supplements to regulate body health has become fashionable. Purple sweet potato red pigment has antioxidant, anti-tumor and other physiological effects, so it can be used as a functional ingredient in health foods.
Applications in the pharmaceutical industry
In production, sometimes for some reason, artificial pigments need to be added to make drugs easier to identify and distinguish. Commonly used medical tablet colorants include mustard red, carmine, indigo, etc. Although these chemically synthesized pigments are approved by international health authorities, they are all synthetic pigments and have certain harm to the human body. Long-term use will definitely produce certain side effects. Therefore, natural purple sweet potato red pigment can be used instead of synthetic pigments to produce colored tablets.
Applications in the cosmetics industry
The colorants used in the cosmetics processing industry are required to be both beautiful and safe and non-toxic. Because the facial skin is greatly affected by the environment and is at the end of blood circulation, with insufficient nutrient supply, it is the first tissue in the human body to age. The main cause of skin aging, reduced elasticity and dryness is that free radicals and excessive proteases, elastase, and hyaluronidase attack or decompose biomolecules, greatly reducing the skin's support and water retention capabilities. Purple sweet potato red pigment has antioxidant and free radical scavenging capabilities. Therefore, skin care products containing purple sweet potato red pigment can inhibit the generation of peroxides caused by oxygen free radicals generated by ultraviolet irradiation, and are beneficial to improving skin inflammation, anti-oxidation, etc. It has a certain effect. The pigments used in most cosmetics are mostly chemically synthesized pigments, which may accumulate over time and cause potential harm to the body. Studies have proven that pigments in cosmetics can cause skin allergies, pigmentation, and even asthma. PSPC is derived from nature. It is not only bright, natural and attractive in color, but also has the above-mentioned health functions. Therefore, it is expected to replace chemically synthesized pigments (such as acid red) and be widely used in lipstick, rouge, shampoo and other cosmetics.