Beetroot (Beta vulgaris), a root vegetable known for its vivid natural color and nutritional profile, is a source of a wide range of bioactive compounds, including betalains, phenolics, vitamins, and antioxidants. These bioactive compounds are associated with many health-promoting properties, including antihypertensive, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects. The beetroot processing industry produces substantial by-products abundant in phytochemicals and betalains, presenting valuable opportunities for utilization. Therefore, it can replace synthetic additives and enhance the nutritional value of foods. By reducing waste and supporting a circular economy, beetroot by-products improve resource efficiency, cut production costs, and lessen the food industry’s environmental impact. Beetroot and its by-products are rich in phytochemicals that provide various wellness advantages. They support cardiovascular health, inhibit microbe-induced food spoiling, aid liver function, and reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. This paper presents a detailed review of current knowledge on beetroot and its by-products, focusing on their biochemical components, extraction and stabilization techniques, health benefits, and potential applications in the food industry. It underscores the versatility and importance of red beetroot and its derivatives, advocating for further research into optimized processing methods and innovative uses to enhance their industrial and nutritional value. By providing valuable insights, this review aims to inspire food scientists, nutritionists, and the agricultural sector to integrate beetroot and its by-products into more sustainable and health-oriented food systems.

With the increasing global demand for sustainable and eco-friendly food items, it is imperative to investigate alternate sources of natural pigments. The red beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) is a traditional food in many countries and a rich bioactive compound known for its beneficial properties. Beetroot peel, a by-product of beetroot food processing, is often discarded, contributing to environmental damage. This research explores the potential of beetroot peel (BP) powder as a natural pigment in food products and its functional benefits. The study focuses on incorporating BP powder into meringues, aiming to create a value-added product with enhanced properties, particularly antioxidant activity. Various amounts of BP powder (4–10%) were added to meringue formulations, and the effects on the resulting meringues’ physicochemical properties, sensory qualities, and phytochemical profiles were assessed during 21 days of storage. The research revealed that BP powder, besides its function as a natural colorant and the pleasing pink hue it imparts to meringues, also enhances antioxidant activity due to its high phenolic concentration. BP powder was also incorporated to enhance the meringues’ overall sensory characteristics, improving their flavor and texture. The research findings indicate that BP has the potential to be used as a natural food ingredient to promote human health, resource-use efficiency, and a circular economy.

Purple carrot peels are an abundant agro-industrial by-product rich in phytochemicals and have potential applications such as natural colorants and antioxidants. In the context of increasing interest in the valorization of vegetable processing residues, the recovery of bioactive compounds from such materials has become an important scientific and industrial objective. This study aimed to optimize the parameters of a solvent extraction process to maximize total anthocyanin content (TAC), total polyphenol content (TPC), and antioxidant activity (AA) from purple carrot peels. A Central Composite Design, combined with response surface methodology, was used to evaluate the effects of temperature, extraction time, ethanol concentration, and pH across 30 experimental runs. The optimal extraction conditions were identified as pH 4, an ethanol concentration of 50%, a temperature of 80 °C, and an extraction time of 35.88 min. Under the optimized extraction conditions, the experimental values obtained for TAC, TPC, and AA were 2.10 mg C3G/g D.W., 20.60 mg GAE/g D.W, and 19.02 mMol Trolox/g D.W, respectively, which were in close agreement with the predicted values of 2.10 mg C3G/g D.W., 20.30 mg GAE/g D.W, and 19.05 mMol Trolox/g D.W. The good agreement between predicted and experimental values confirmed the adequacy and predictive capability of the developed response surface models. A total of 32 phenolic compounds were characterized by UHPLC–MS/MS, with shikimic acid identified as the dominant compound, highlighting the chemical diversity and abundance of bioactive phenolics in purple carrot peels. The results demonstrate that optimization of extraction parameters significantly enhances the efficiency of conventional solid–liquid extraction, enabling the effective recovery of antioxidant compounds. The proposed approach supports the sustainable valorization of purple carrot by-products as cost-effective sources of natural pigments for food industry applications.