The Chilean bellflower, or Lapageria rosea, is a climber, endemic to central and southern Chile, whose flowers are mainly red in the wild, but that can appear in different shades when cultivated, they range from white to deep red through pink and light red with white spots. In addition to the historical account of its discovery, and how it came to be considered the national flower of Chile, this review describes the long way to determine the chemical structure of the compounds responsible for the Chilean bellflower’s color, the volatile compounds emitted by the flower and the sugars present in its nectar.

Cow's milk, which is used to make cheese, contains b-carotene, which is the compound responsible for the natural pale-yellow color of cheese. This yellow-orange colored compound is found naturally in the grass that cows feed on. As it is fat soluble, it is stored in the cow´s fat and passes into the milk encapsulated inside the so-called fat globules contained in milk. Since these globules scatter the incident light, milk appears to be white. During cheese making, these fat globules break down, releasing the b-carotene, which stains the cheese with its characteristic yellow color. Currently, to homogenize the cheese color in the industry, Annatto is added, a natural colorant extracted from the plant Bixa orellana L., present in the Peruvian Amazonia.

Cow's milk, which is used to make cheese, contains b-carotene, which is the compound responsible for the natural pale-yellow color of cheese. This yellow-orange colored compound is found naturally in the grass that cows feed on. As it is fat soluble, it is stored in the cow´s fat and passes into the milk encapsulated inside the so-called fat globules contained in milk. Since these globules scatter the incident light, milk appears to be white. During cheese making, these fat globules break down, releasing the b-carotene, which stains the cheese with its characteristic yellow color. Currently, to homogenize the cheese color in the industry, Annatto is added, a natural colorant extracted from the plant Bixa orellana L., present in the Peruvian Amazonia.

The Chilean bellflower, or Lapageria rosea, is a climber, endemic to central and southern Chile, whose flowers are mainly red in the wild, but that can appear in different shades when cultivated, they range from white to deep red through pink and light red with white spots. In addition to the historical account of its discovery, and how it came to be considered the national flower of Chile, this review describes the long way to determine the chemical structure of the compounds responsible for the Chilean bellflower’s color, the volatile compounds emitted by the flower and the sugars present in its nectar.

Cow's milk, which is used to make cheese, contains b-carotene, which is the compound responsible for the natural pale-yellow color of cheese. This yellow-orange colored compound is found naturally in the grass that cows feed on. As it is fat soluble, it is stored in the cow´s fat and passes into the milk encapsulated inside the so-called fat globules contained in milk. Since these globules scatter the incident light, milk appears to be white. During cheese making, these fat globules break down, releasing the b-carotene, which stains the cheese with its characteristic yellow color. Currently, to homogenize the cheese color in the industry, Annatto is added, a natural colorant extracted from the plant Bixa orellana L., present in the Peruvian Amazonia.

The Chilean bellflower, or Lapageria rosea, is a climber, endemic to central and southern Chile, whose flowers are mainly red in the wild, but that can appear in different shades when cultivated, they range from white to deep red through pink and light red with white spots. In addition to the historical account of its discovery, and how it came to be considered the national flower of Chile, this review describes the long way to determine the chemical structure of the compounds responsible for the Chilean bellflower’s color, the volatile compounds emitted by the flower and the sugars present in its nectar.