Natural colors are trending, yet using them in designs requires careful thought and consideration. To ensure inclusive designs, test them using accessibility tools and color blindness simulators.
Food scientists have made great strides to overcome the functional issues posed by natural colorants – such as fading in dairy products and pH-sensitivity for certain shades of red – through innovative encapsulation methods and performance-boosting copigments. This work may provide solutions for many of these challenges.
Natural Dye
Natural dyes are eco-friendly alternatives to industrially produced chemical dyes which release harmful waste into water bodies. Natural dyes are composed of plants, insects and minerals found naturally. Prior to synthetic dyes being introduced into mainstream use they provided an important form of natural coloring in society.
Hhibiscus flowers, avocado stones, turmeric and pomegranate skins can all be used as direct dyes that produce various colors without the use of mordants. These dyes are known as substantive or direct dyes.
For other dyes, a mordant is often necessary to help natural dye bind with fibers to produce stable colors. Alum is frequently used, though some recipes call for heavy metal mordants like chrome that pose health and safety concerns and should be avoided.
Maiwa has experimented with natural dyes derived from plants both grown in our garden and discovered in nature, from bright red amaranthus blooms to mellow brown annatto seeds.
Natural Food Colours
As consumers seek natural alternatives to synthetic dyes, manufacturers are turning increasingly towards food colors made from ingredients found in kitchen gardens or spice racks – from beetroot for rich red hues, turmeric for golden yellows, and spirulina for earthy blue hues; all can provide vibrant hues without the health risks associated with synthetic dyes.
Natural colors may also be more sustainable than their synthetic equivalents. Producing synthetic dyes requires resources and may lead to hazardous byproducts; on the contrary, most natural hues come from renewable and sustainable sources, making them a more eco-friendly solution.
Natural food color options come in the form of liquids, powders and gels. Powders are great for dry applications where excess moisture could compromise texture or in recipes requiring high heat tolerance, while liquids come either as water-based solutions or reduced to syrup depending on what shade of hue is desired. Remember that using small amounts can create distinct flavor in any application!
Natural Additives
Today’s consumers demand products made with clean ingredients and are turning away from artificial dyes. Natural colors can help meet this consumer need while expanding your audience and improving brand perception. They also tend to have lower environmental impact than synthetic ones made from non-renewable sources like petroleum.
Spirulina (blue-green algae) provides an eco-friendly source of natural food coloring while turmeric, an aromatic yellow spice, provides more than just color – its flavorful goodness also includes its impressive nutritional profile.
Gillco works with you to select the appropriate natural food coloring solutions based on your application and processing conditions, to help minimize sensory impact while reaching desired visual results. Our technical expertise helps minimize sensory impact for maximum visual results and consumer-friendly labels.
Natural Pigments
At the dawn of time, artists have used crushed plant, rock and mineral materials from plants and rocks to leave visual messages on surfaces and dye their own skin and clothing with natural pigment inks and dyes made from these ingredients. From red clays and ochres to saffron and cumin seeds – plants, flowers and minerals alike can all be ground or crushed into powder form before being combined with binding agents like shellac or gum arabic to form natural pigment inks and dyes.
Natural pigments offer more than just safety; they’re also extremely long-lasting and archival. Our earth and mineral colors won’t degrade over time like synthetic hues do – instead, their natural state allows them to last thousands of years in your jar!
Rublev Colours are specially-formulated mineral, organic and historical powder pigments for artists, inspired by ancient, medieval and Renaissance painters who used similar ingredients. Our Rublev Colors are non-toxic and water soluble paint mediums such as egg tempera, gum arabic distemper and acrylics – perfect for painting!
