Attracting consumers looking for more healthful and clean labeled options, natural colors have gained increasing use in bakery applications. But their implementation requires special consideration of ingredient interactions, processing conditions and shelf life of finished product.
Blue is the rarest hue found in nature due to the difficulty associated with producing blue-absorbing chemicals biochemically.
Reds
Red is the color of passion, power and romance; its various hues evoking strong emotional responses from us humans as it appears naturally in nature as flowers blooming with vibrant petals, delicious fruits being harvested or breathtaking sunsets.
Evolution has gifted plants with the ability to display red pigments such as anthocyanins and carotenoids to attract pollinators and dispersers of seeds and fruits; prey animals often become pollinators as a result. Meanwhile, similar hues serve as signals to warn predators not to consume them.
Food color manufacturers are now turning to natural pigments as stable, cost-effective and clean-label alternatives to FD&C Red #40, Yellow #5, and Blue #1 (Allura Red and Tartrazine), which are made of non-edible sources such as petroleum and require special labeling in Europe. GNT offers Exberry colors made of fruit, vegetables and edible plant extracts while DDW The Color House produces natural blue pigment using Galdieria Sulphuraria microalgae for their blue production line.
Yellows
Yellow can be found in many natural sources, from fruits and vegetables to oils such as mustard seed, turmeric and rapeseed (Brassica napus). Eggs and milk also naturally feature yellow hues derived from carotenoid pigments called xanthophylls that give these hues their hue.
Bakers who wish to use natural colors must consider numerous factors when formulating. This includes ingredient interactions and processing conditions, solubility and stability during manufacturing as well as consideration for regulatory framework and front-of-pack claims.
Kalsec offers a selection of naturally sourced yellows designed to help manufacturers achieve bold and consistent results in food and beverage applications. These natural colors serve as clean label alternatives to synthetic yellow dyes and undergo extensive testing for performance, safety, efficacy.
Greens
Green is often associated with nature and vitality. Additionally, this hue makes a statement about being eco-conscious and is often chosen by companies to convey this message.
Shades of green can be found in food from various sources, including leaves, fruit, vegetables and seeds. When formulating with natural colors it’s important to remember their performance will depend on ingredient interactions, processing conditions and product moisture content.
Manufacturers have struggled to create vibrant shades of green using natural ingredients, often ending up with colors with an herbal taste which may not always meet customer preferences. Some animal species use green as camouflage by matching their surroundings which contain chlorophyll.
Purples
Purple represents wisdom, spirituality, femininity, luxury, wealth and nobility. By combining red’s energy with that of blue, its effects may either energize or calm depending on its surroundings and context of use.
From delicate pastel hues to the deep purples associated with royalty, there is a wide range of purple shades. Historically, natural dyes like madder root and cochineal were used for dye production before synthetic organic dyes like quinacridone became widely available during the 1950s.
Sensient’s Portfolio of Perfect Purples features a range of natural dyes sourced directly from nature, from vibrant heliotrope to more subdued Languid Lavender hues. Our team of expert color technicians combine abundant resources available from nature with advanced formulation techniques to craft high-performing colors that meet cost-in-use targets with ease.
Blacks
Natural colors have become an increasingly popular trend as brands strive to meet consumers’ increasingly naturalistic expectations. While natural hues may meet this criteria, they may not always be ideal solutions for bakery applications because of moisture sensitivities in finished product and the potential risk of color fading over shelf life.
Natural dyes can be challenging to formulate with. For instance, many natural dyes are unstable and must be combined with other ingredients in order to be stable enough for use. Furthermore, these react differently during manufacturing as well as over time during shelf life of final product.
Manufacturers are continually working on creating more stable natural colors, and improving existing ones. GNT, for instance, offers Exberry blue made with spirulina and tropical fruit huito as the basis.
