Waste from Making Purple Corn Chips Yields A Natural Dye, Supplements, Kitty Litter
Published:31 Mar.2021 Source:American Chemical Society
The more colorful a food, the more nutritious it probably is. For example, purple corn contains compounds associated with a reduced risk of developing diabetes and heart disease. The cobs contain the same compounds but are typically thrown out. Now, researchers report a step-wise biorefinery approach in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering that uses the whole cob, producing a dye and a possible nutraceutical with the pigments, and an animal litter with the left-overs.
Eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables provides a variety of health benefits, with vitamins and nutrients stored within the plant's color-producing compounds. One group of compounds contributing distinct hues to food are anthocyanins -- vibrant pigments desired as natural dyes that also have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Anthocyanins are found in purple corn's kernels and the corncobs, which are typically discarded.