Posted by UBE.25
The first thing you notice about ube is the color. Deep purple, almost unreal. Many people therefore think that it contains coloring. But with real ube, that is not necessary. The color is naturally in the tuber. How that works, and why your ube latte sometimes turns pinker or bluer, you can read here.
The color comes from anthocyanins
Ube contains anthocyanins. These are natural pigments that are also found in blueberries, blackberries, grapes, and red cabbage. They give plants their red, purple, or blue color. Ube contains so many of them that the entire tuber is deep purple inside.
Why does the color sometimes change?
Anthocyanins react to the acidity of their environment. You can see this in the kitchen:
- Acid makes it pinker. If you add lemon or lime juice, ube turns more pink-purple. You can see this, for example, in the ube lime tart.
- Alkaline makes it bluer. Too much baking soda in dough can make ube bluish or greenish.
- Neutral keeps it purple. In milk, ube stays beautifully purple, as in an ube latte.
How to keep the color beautiful
- Whisk it first in hot water. Then the powder dissolves completely and you get an even color.
- Dose enough. With 2 to 2.5 grams per latte you get a clear purple color. If you want a deeper purple, feel free to take a little more.
- Watch out for baking soda. In baking, it is better to use baking powder, or not too much baking soda.
- Store in the dark. Light and moisture make powder fade faster. Close the bag tightly.
Why is a purple latte sometimes bright purple?
If you see an extremely bright, even purple color, it may contain coloring. Especially with cheap mixes or "taro" drinks. Check the label for E-numbers or "coloring". Also read is ube the same as taro? and buying ube powder: what to look for?
No coloring needed
ube powder from UBE.25 consists of 99.7% ube and 0.3% natural vanilla. The color comes entirely from the ube. Try it in an iced ube latte: the purple swirl in cold milk makes the color look its best.
