Color plays an integral role in our natural environment. From the reddish-orange hue of cacti flowers to the iridescent purple of butterfly wings, color is at the core of what keeps us engaged with our surroundings.
However, when using natural colors in bakery applications, formulators must keep certain aspects in mind when using natural hues.
Marine Clay
Marine clay is a microcrystalline material composed of both clay minerals (such as Illite, Kaolinite and Montmorillonite ) and non-clay minerals such as quartz and feldspar. As it’s susceptible to rapid liquefaction it cannot be used without appropriate treatment [1].
Marine clay expands quickly when exposed to moisture, creating serious issues for any building built upon it – even potentially leading to its complete destruction within an instant.
Marine clay’s susceptibility to swelling can be traced back to its negative net charge, but this can be mitigated by exchanging negative cations for positive ones – this process is known as Cation Exchange.
Earth Pigments
Earth pigments (also referred to as earth ochres) are mineral pigments formulated from iron oxides found in sedimentary geological material, and can be crushed and ground into powder before being used as paint pigments.
When looking for earth colors, search for deposits free from rocks and organic matter. Sedimentary rocks like sandstone or shale tend to be easy to grind into pigments while other rocks such as basaltic igneous rock may require more effort and consideration before being converted into pigments.
No matter your desired hue – be it soft sienna or burnt umber – earth pigments offer something suitable. Used widely throughout art history due to their moderate tinting strength and lightfastness properties, earth pigments offer plenty of options when selecting earth hues. Roasting enhances their hue while making them easier to mix into other paints.
Plant Pigments
Plant pigments are large molecules found in many fruits, vegetables and flowers that enhance visual appeal, attract insects for pollination purposes and capture solar energy through photosynthesis.
Chlorophyll is one of the primary plant pigments, absorbing blue-green light while scattering red wavelengths to give trees green leaves and cabbage stems yellow stems.
Carotenoids are water-soluble flavonoid pigments produced in plant plastids that produce orange, yellow and red hues in their plants. Carotenoids can also be used as coloring agents in beverages, foods and cosmetics products.
Anthocyanins are water-soluble flavonoid plant pigments responsible for creating pink to red hues found in flower petals, most red fruits and some vegetables (like novelty chard). Like most plant pigments, anthocyanins are sensitive to pH with alkalines increasing alkalinity pushing them toward blue; nevertheless they remain highly heat and light stable.
Natural Greens
Green conjures images of nature, abundance, health and equilibrium. It symbolizes renewal and rebirth – thus being used widely in hospitals, spas and yoga studios to create feelings of wellbeing and relaxation.
As with all colors, green can have both positive and negative connotations. Too much green can convey lack of vitality and stagnation while too little can represent freshness, youth and inexperience.
Natural color sources offer an array of shades that can be created, ranging from vibrant chartreuse to cool jade green, emerald, forest bottle olive and olive green hues – along with their variations such as bright chartreuse. These vibrant yet natural shades make an excellent statement about sustainable products and values for brands looking to highlight them. Unlike non-edible yellows (Allura Red Tartrazine Brilliant Blue etc) natural greens come from edible sources and extracted using physical/chemical processes without compromising flavor/nutritive characteristics or flavor or nutritional attributes.
