“SUSTAINABILITY MEETS NUTRITION: THE POTENTIAL OF Bougainville spectabilis IN FOOD SYSTEMS”
Bougainvillea spectabilis develops as a woody vine or bush, coming to 15 to 40 feet (4.6 to 12.2 m) with heart-shaped takes off and prickly, pubescent stems. The blossoms are for the most part little, white, and subtle, highlighted by a few brightly coloured altered clears out called bracts. The bracts can shift in colour, extending from white, ruddy, mauve, purple-red, or orange. Its natural product is a little, unnoticeable, dry, prolonged achene Bougainvillea spectabilis is local to Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, and Chubut Territory, Argentina, but it has been presented in numerous other ranges.
The usage of synthetic food colourants has been normalised in the food industry. Food poisoning could result from the synthetic food colours. Food illness, fatalities, and even adulterations of synthetic food colours are more likely to occur, especially in youngsters. According to a number of studies , Market-available items like bakery goods, confections, and beverages commonly incorporate artificial food colouring. Market-available foods and beverages may have both an excessive amount of legal artificial colours as well as certain prohibited synthetic colours. Synthetic food colours have been linked to serious health issues like allergies, low haemoglobin levels, genetic abnormalities, irritability, restlessness, effects on the organs, and, hyperactivity in children . A lot of azo and triarylmethane dyes are used as artificial colours in foodstuffs. The majority of them are acidic with carboxylic acid or hydroxy groups that, at basic pH ranges, produce highly reactive coloured ions.
Bougainvillea spectabilis is reported to have medicinal values including anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-hepatotoxic, anti-inflammatory, antihyperlipidemic, antimicrobial, antioxidant and antiulcer properties. The phyto constituents such as alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, phenolics, phlobotannins, quinones, saponins, tannins and terpenoids were reported as the basis of therapeutic properties. The other important constituents which contribute to the remedial properties are bougainvinones, pinitol, quercetagetin, quercetin and terpinolene.
As an alternative for these synthetic dyes the extract from the Bougainvillea sp. can be used. Bougainvillea spectabilis contains several beneficial phytochemicals: Flavonoids: Antioxidants that help reduce oxidative stress. Phenolic Compounds: Antioxidants with potential anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects. Saponins: May boost the immune system. Tannins: Have astringent, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. Alkaloids: Known for various biological activities, though less studied in this plant. Research is ongoing to fully understand their health benefits. Since these types of dyes have impactful health benefits it can be used in food. The dyes can be used in the beverage industry as colourants and can be used as an alternative for the pink coloured synthetic dyes since it produces the extract in dark pink colour. By this I conclude that the usage of the synthetic dyes can be replaced by these types of organic dyes extracted from the edible plant parts. Since these organic dyes don’t consist of any health hazard it can be used in the food industry after purifying these organic dyes in the food sources.

Jai Krishnan E

University/College name : Saveetha University