title: Nature's palette: the search for natural blue colorants.
abstract: The food and beverage industry is seeking to broaden the palette of naturally derived colorants. Although considerable effort has been devoted to the search for new blue colorants in fruits and vegetables, less attention has been directed toward blue compounds from other sources such as bacteria and fungi. The current work reviews known organic blue compounds from natural plant, animal, fungal, and microbial sources. The scarcity of blue-colored metabolites in the natural world relative to metabolites of other colors is discussed, and structural trends common among natural blue compounds are identified. These compounds are grouped into seven structural classes and evaluated for their potential as new color additives.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, University of Illinois College of Pharmacy , 833 South Wood Street, M/C 781, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States.
authors.forename: Andrew G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Newsome
authors.forename: Catherine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Culver
authors.forename: Richard B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: van Breemen
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids; D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000737:chemistry; D003116:Color; D005419:Flavonoids; D005505:Food Coloring Agents / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D005658:Fungi / Q000737:chemistry; D008027:Light; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry*; D011809:Quinones; D013057:Spectrum Analysis
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D005419:Flavonoids; D005505:Food Coloring Agents; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D011809:Quinones