Plant Betaine Activity Assay

Betaine is a quaternary ammonium water-soluble alkaloid widely distributed in animals, plants, and microorganisms. It is the oxidation product of choline in organisms and can increase strong immunity, lowering blood lipids, anti-oxidation, anti-tumor, and can be used as a methyl donor to participate in the promotion of animal protein and fat metabolism, increase appetite, relieve stress, regulates osmotic pressure, stabilizes vitamins and other biological functions, and has a wide range of applications in chemical, pharmaceutical, food additives, and other fields.

Betaine reacts with Reye's salt under strong acid conditions to produce precipitation, which is dissolved in acetone to form a red solution with a characteristic absorption peak at 525nm. Measure the absorbance at 525nm to obtain the betaine content of the sample.