An international team, including chemists from UC Davis, has uncovered a natural cyan blue food coloring derived from red cabbage. This breakthrough offers a sustainable alternative to synthetic blue dyes like FD&C Blue No. 1. Led by Pamela Denish and Professor Justin Siegel, the team’s enzymatic conversion method boosts the yield of blue compounds from red cabbage, paving the way for commercialization through their startup, Peak B. This innovation addresses the scarcity of natural blue hues in food and enhances color mixing capabilities, promising exciting applications across the food industry.
