The red cabbage is a vegetable that predominantly exists in Europe and is commonly visible in Salads.
The red cabbage belongs to the Brassica group of vegetables and provides numerous benefits to human health. On the contrary, the red cabbage colour separates the colour from the cabbage, primarily in powder or liquid state.
This article will learn how the red cabbage changes its colour under variations. In addition, you will also get to know a brief insight into the health benefits.
Anthocyanins
It is important to remember that the colour present in the cabbage is due to the high volume of anthocyanins present. To those unfamiliar with the term “Anthocyanins,” they are flavonoids that give the red cabbage its bright colour, I.e., the red colour.
Anthocyanins are reported to possess antioxidants properties that are beneficial for human health.
It is crucial to note that anthocyanins possess a special feature that absorbs and reflects lucid colour to our eyes.
This colour could be dark brown, violet, red, blue, or a mix of these. People are often captured in the misconception that the abovementioned vegetable throwback the colour from an anthocyanin.
Reports state that there are multiple anthocyanins at the back functioning. Consequently, we get to visualize the bright colour due to the presence of anthocyanins.
Shade variations of the vegetable
If you own a vegetable farm or reside in an area where red cabbage production is abundant, you might have noticed the colour change. The red cabbage transposes its original colour from dark pink to purple, black-brown to blue. Ever wondered why this is so? Manifold would say that this is natural. There is a whole science behind it.
The colour variations are solely dependent on the acidic environment. The acidic environment refers to the pH value.
The pH value
The pH is an acronym for “Power of Hydrogen.” The measurement below 7 is acidic, and anything above 7 to 14 is alkaline.
The 7 is neutral.
The anthocyanins’ response to the pH value is what determines the colour. Following the researches, the pH value of the social must range from anywhere between 5.5 and 6.5.
Too low pH can lead to a lack of nutrients and affect the overall growth of the plant. Too much pH is also disadvantageous.
Let us now look at the divergence of colours under a specific pH.
on ph 2, the cabbage would reflect bright red-pink colour. At 4, the colour changes to light purple.
on 6, we get the common colour of the cabbage (dark-purple to red). When the pH reaches 8, the hue visualized is “blue.” This is how pH value is important.
Cooking
It is also advisable to cook red cabbage at low boiling points since increasing the temperature would lead to the loss of bright colour. Apart from this, if you want to experience a vivid red colour, adding vinegar to the cabbage would be your best bet.
