Natural colors come from an abundance of edible and non-edible sources like vegetables, fruits, spices, algae, and minerals – providing a wide variety of FDA-approved colors suitable for food industry applications.
Integrate natural colors into your creative projects for added inspiration. From desert reds to forest greens, there is an infinite range of hues waiting to inspire.
Origin
Natural colors are produced from plants, animals and microorganisms found in nature, usually extracted from leaves, flowers, roots, fruits seeds and barks. Extraction processes vary depending on whether or not pigment is oil or water soluble and current research indicates there may be great potential to cultivate plant and microbe-derived natural colorants (Vankar 2016).
Medieval textile dyers commonly employed woad, indigo, saffron or purple root/gromwell for wool dyeing purposes during the medieval period. Kermes and cochineal dyes imported by treasure fleets from Asia were highly prized luxury dyes; cutch was another brown pigment derived from the bark of Acacia trees that produced its colorant.
Natural colors have recently grown increasingly popular. Alongside health benefits, they also lend products a “wellness halo”, drawing consumers who seek environmentally-friendly alternatives like synthetic dyes. Furthermore, natural dyes do not contain harmful chemicals and support sustainable agricultural practices; an advantage over synthetic colors like FD&C red #40 or yellow#5 that are linked with hyperactivity in children and require special labelling in Europe.
Purpose
Natural colors refers to any hue found naturally, such as in foods, pigments or materials found throughout nature. This term also encompasses digital technology-inspired shades which draw upon nature for inspiration.
Demand for naturally colored food products continues to increase, with research revealing that sales of natural coloring outpaced those of synthetic dyes for the first time ever in 2013. Consumers increasingly prioritize products that align with their sustainability concerns while simultaneously satisfying their desire for clean label products.
Many manufacturers are increasingly turning to natural colors for reformulating existing products, yet this can be challenging due to a limited selection of hues available. Reds from turmeric may not work in certain product formulations or have poor heat and light stability while blues derived from saffron stigma are among the most expensive – which could result in price increases to consumers that might prove hard for some of them to accept.
Symbolism
Natural colors communicate a range of meanings. Some, like green, symbolize nature, growth and freshness while others stand for environmental conservation, green technology, health and well-being.
Color meanings vary based on culture and current circumstances; for instance, while blue usually represents water and the sky in America, in Mexico it represents loyalty and trustworthiness.
Other symbols may seem culturally specific, like red’s association with death and bloodshed in South Africa or white’s signification as mourning in China and Japan; but their associations can have historical roots too; for instance saffron was originally used as dye for cloth before becoming associated with wealth and royalty – it was even one of the first colors ever mass-produced synthetically! Now it can even be found as natural food colorings to encourage healthy lifestyles.
Health
Natural colors do not contain harmful chemicals like synthetic food coloring agents do, making them more appealing to health-conscious customers. Furthermore, natural hues offer unique shades and hues which cannot be replicated using synthetic dyes.
Color has a powerful psychological influence over people and their behavior, with warm hues like red and yellow stimulating and energizing while cool colors such as blue and green are soothing and relaxing. Leveraging this impactful tool for product marketing purposes with natural hues.
Natural food colors come from various plants, fruits, vegetables and algae sources. Common examples are anthocyanins (water-soluble pigments found in purple corn, purple carrots, red radish and elderberry); betanins from beet juice and carmine; carotenes derived from turmeric, annatto and paprika; phycobiliproteins produced by bacteria and algae; as well as ochre and malachite extract extracted from minerals – making these natural food colors stable for use in applications such as ice creams, yoghurts or cream fillings.
