A study of general characteristics of acetone extracted pigment from the cell mass of Rhodospirillum rusrum DSM 467 was carried out for the development of natural food colorant. Through visible absorption scanning, it showed seven absorption peaks at 355, 410, 529, 624, 680 and 747nm, and it was shown to be yellow color. In acidic and neutral conditions, the color was yellow, while in the alkaline condition it was greenish yellow. This pigment was stable at pH range between 3.0~10.0, and below 4$0^{circ}C$. In the presence of light and oxygen, the stability of pigment rapidly degraded and it became unstable in the presence of metal ions such as Cu2+, Al3+ and Fe3+. Through TLC analysis, it was shown to be composed of seven color fractions.