betalain means A class of red and yellow indole-derived water-soluble pigments found in beets and other plants of the Caryophyllales and used commercially as coloring agents.
betalain is pronounced /ˈbiːtəleɪn/.
Etymology
Coined to describe the pigments as derivatives from betalamic acid, from Latin bēta (“beet”), + -in.
noun
- A class of red and yellow indole-derived water-soluble pigments found in beets and other plants of the Caryophyllales and used commercially as coloring agents.“Among the angiosperms, betalains are known only in the Caryophyllales, although they also occur in some Basidiomycetes.”