Hiroshi Maeda, professor of botany, graduate student Soyoung Jung, Ray Collier from the Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center and plant and agroecosystem scientists Shawn Kaeppler and Heidi Kaeppler have developed soybeans that produce high levels of betalain, a natural red pigment found in beets and some cactus fruit. This sustainable coloring could replace synthetic food dyes, which pose health and environmental risks. The soybeans also accumulate L-DOPA, a compound used in brain health supplements, raising the possibility of soy-based food products that are both colorful and beneficial to cognitive function.