How do Fruits and Vegetables Get Their Colour

Don't we always wonder how carrots could be red or orange, eggplant are purple and grapes or lush green! Let us understand how fruits and vegetables get their rich colours. The colour of the fruits and vegetables are caused due to the pigment which are found in them. Most of these pigments are mostly chlorophyll which gives the green colour, carotenoids which give the yellow, orange and red colour and anthocyamins which give the fruits and vegetable various colours such as blues, purple and reds.

The carrot gets it's orange colour due to the presence of carotenoid pigment, carotene. Carotenoid present in the tomato namely lycopene gives the fruit it's red colour. The red berries get the red colour due to the pigment anthocymins. The red beet get it's red colour from the pigment betaleins. And the green leafy vegetables get the colour due to the pigment, chlorophyll.

These pigments present in the fruits and vegetables contain nutrients. These nutrients are beneficial for us and hence eating a particularly coloured fruit and vegetable does benefit us some way or the other. When we consume red coloured fruits, they protect our cardio-vascular system. The benefit of eating orange and yellow fruits and vegetables is it's contribution to the overall well-being of our eyes. The green vegetables work as a natural detox and the purple fruit and vegetables work as a reinforcer of an immune system.