Beets bleed red but a chemistry tweak can create a blue hue
Results could pave the way for a rare natural blue pigment to color food, clothes and more
![beets and blue dye made from beets](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/040220_cd_blue-dye_feat.jpg?fit=1028%2C579&ssl=1)
The powdered food additive maltodextrin (right) gets a splash of color from a new blue dye derived from red beets.
Avalon_Studio/E+/Getty Images plus (left); E.L. Bastos (right)