Red coloring( was Re: [Sca-cooks] Article: Feasting with Food Allergies)

[grizly at mindspring.com]

sca-cooks at ansteorra.org wrote:
> jenne at fiedlerfamily.net wrote:>
<<< SNIP>>>> Yes, but I'm wierded out by the notion that red food colorings, which I > believed were synthetic products, are actually naturally present in red foods and vegetables. Does anybody know which red food colorings these are?
> -- Jadwiga

Don't know if this is your answer, but anthocyanins provide red coloring to foods such as beets, cabbage, & radishes and 'turn' leaves red.  They are pH reactant (acid-base indicators) and can turn blue and back to red.

But these seem to have beneficial effects according to following sites.  I guess sensitivities could develop to these compounds:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/ttic/tektran/data/000007/19/0000071970.html

http://pslgroup.com/dg/39fb2.htm

there are more; just go to Lycos or another engine and type in ANTHOCYANINS.

niccolo difrancesco