Natural colors derived from fruits, vegetables and minerals are becoming more and more sought-after by health-minded consumers and those allergic to artificial dyes. These colorants offer many health-related advantages over their artificial counterparts.
These provide a “wellness halo”, providing stable shades over a broad pH range and withstanding heat and light stability. Some are not heat or light resistant.
Origins
Natural colors come from plants, vegetables, seeds, minerals and other edible sources that contain pigments that can be extracted using physical or chemical methods to isolate only their pigments without extracting flavors or nutritional benefits [1].
Manufacturers have long sought natural alternatives to synthetic colors, yet these have proved unsuccessful at matching the vibrancy and stability of artificial counterparts – particularly reds, greens and violets. Hershey in particular has had difficulty replicating the vibrant red hue that gives their Jolly Ranchers candies their distinctive brightness using only natural ingredients.
William Henry Perkin first introduced natural colors into production accidentally in 1856 while trying to formulate a cure for malaria using coal tar. Since then, manufacturers have utilized various natural colors made from insects, spices and algae for replacement of synthetic dyes such as FD&C Red #40 (E120). GNT offers several natural red colors including Red #15, Red #40 replacement Exberry as well as blue pigment made using Galdieria Sulphuraria microalgae.
Safety
Natural colors are extracted from vegetables, fruits, seeds, minerals and other edible sources using either physical or chemical extraction methods. Once extracted, their pigments can be concentrated and standardized so food and beverage manufacturers can achieve consistent coloring results with one formula.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have given these natural dyes the go-ahead as safe to be used in human foods; however, current studies on color additives seldom extend beyond two years and tend to involve animals rather than people as subjects for testing.
Artificial food dyes such as FD&C Red #40, Yellow #5, and Blue #1 or Allura Red, Tartrazine, Brilliant Blue are constructed using non-edible materials like petroleum. Although technically considered safe for food use in Europe, such dyes have been linked to hyperactive behavior among children. Many consumers today prefer cleaner alternatives without synthetic ingredients that produce natural colors instead.
Stability
As the clean-label revolution gains steam, beverage formulators must be cognizant of the unique challenges presented by natural colors. Key among these issues are heat stability issues which may be compromised due to pH variations, oxidation or other external influences; other considerations could also affect their stability.
Another challenge lies in color matching. Natural colors can differ depending on their botanical source; red beet provides an attractive berry-red hue; however, its quality degrades rapidly under heat stress.
Cochineal (more commonly known as carmine) is an effective natural choice for creating orange, red and yellow shades in food and beverages, boasting excellent heat, light and pH stability. While not kosher certified and difficult to work with for use in alcohol beverages due to its thick viscosity properties.
Applications
As consumers move away from artificial and synthetic food colorings, natural color solutions have seen increased adoption by manufacturers. Manufacturers are turning towards plant and mineral-based colors as a way of meeting consumer expectations for clean labels while assuring quality and stability in finished products.
Synthetic colors like FD&C Red #40, Yellow #5, and Blue #1 (Allura Red, Tartrazine) are made from non-edible petroleum byproducts; while most natural colors come from plants, vegetables, fruits, seeds or minerals. Physical or chemical separation processes remove pigments from edible sources while simultaneously eliminating flavors or nutrients so as to make these dyes safe for food and beverage applications.
One of the most widely used natural colors is cochineal or carmine, an extract obtained from female cochineal insects living in cacti and can range in hue from orange to red to purple. Other popular natural options are paprika, turmeric, saffron and iron and lead oxides; in addition there are vegetable and fruit extracts or concentrates such as black carrot, purple sweet potato or safflower extracts or concentrates; microorganism-derived pigments including canthaxanthin astaxanthin violacein and riboflavin.
