E162 (beetroot red, betanin)

E162, or beetroot red, is a food colour based on betanin, the pigment of red beetroot. It provides shades from red to violet-red and is used in desserts, drinks, dairy products, sauces, confectionery, ice cream and other foods that need a bright but natural-sounding colour. On labels it may appear as beetroot red, betanin or beetroot concentrate.

Beetroot origin makes E162 easier for consumers to understand, but it does not turn every product containing it into vegetable food. Beetroot as a food contains water, fibre, potassium, folates, organic acids, sugars and other compounds. The colourant E162 mainly provides colour. A sweet yogurt, candy or drink with betanin is not a serving of beetroot, even if the colour truly comes from a plant source.

What betanin is

Betanin belongs to betalains, not anthocyanins. This matters because red plant pigments differ in chemistry, stability and behaviour in foods. Betanin is sensitive to light, heat, oxygen and pH, so beetroot red works better in products where processing conditions do not destroy the colour too quickly. In acidic products it may give a brighter shade, while heat can reduce stability.

Because of this instability, E162 is often chosen for products where a natural red colour is desired without harsh heat treatment. Manufacturers may use it in yogurts, creams, cold desserts, drinks, jellies, icing and fillings. The colour creates an expectation of berries, fruit or beetroot, although actual flavour may be built from flavourings and acids.

Safety and food context

In its re-evaluation of beetroot red, EFSA noted that exposure to betanin from E162 as a food additive is in the same range as exposure to betanin from the regular diet. This is reassuring for the pigment itself at normal intake. It does not mean that every product containing the colour is healthy.

It is useful to distinguish betanin in beetroot, betanin as a colourant and the product to which it is added. Beetroot salad with oil, fermented beetroot, unsweetened borscht and a sweet drink coloured with E162 are different nutritional situations. The same pigment does not cancel sugar, syrups, starch, flavourings or poor satiety.

Low-carbohydrate relevance

E162 itself is not usually the main carbohydrate source. Red-violet products, however, often belong to sweet categories: yogurts, desserts, jellies, drinks, candies and fruit sauces. For LCHF, sugar, fruit concentrates, syrups, starch, flour, maltodextrin and serving size need to be checked. A natural colourant does not make a sweet product low in carbohydrate.

Beetroot as a vegetable contains more carbohydrate than leafy greens, but moderate portions may fit some diets. That is a different question from E162. The colourant can provide colour without a meaningful beetroot serving, while a sweet product can provide many carbohydrates without real vegetable benefit. The word beetroot should not replace the nutrition table and ingredient list.

Tolerance and practical choice

In some people, beetroot and betalains can temporarily colour urine or stool reddish. This is not always dangerous, but it can be confused with alarming symptoms if the person does not remember eating beetroot-coloured food. Pain, weakness, blood unrelated to food or other symptoms are medical questions rather than colourant questions.

If a product with E162 is simple, unsweetened, occasional and well tolerated, the colourant itself is usually not a problem. If red colour is used to sell a sweet drink, dessert or candy as more natural, the product deserves a stricter look. The real value of beetroot and vegetables comes from food, not from pigment alone.

In children’s foods and sweets, E162 can look especially reassuring because beetroot sounds familiar and natural. A children’s yogurt, gummy product or drink still needs to be assessed by sugar, serving size, frequency and satiety. Natural red colour is better only in the narrow sense of pigment origin; it does not cancel a sweet habit and does not replace vegetables.