Colour
au naturel
by Karien de Villiers
44 | MILK & JUICE SEPTEMBER ’08
CONSUMER TRENDS
Most parents would attest to the fact that sweets, • O ffsetting colour loss due to light, air, temperature
ice cream and sugary beverages are the root of extremes, moisture and storage conditions
many evils. Not only are they crammed with • Masking natural variations in colour
sugar. Their bright rainbow colours also harbour • Enhancing naturally occurring colours
a particularly controversial “food baddy” – • Providing identity to foods
artificial colour. Remember the massive recalls • Protecting flavours and vitamins from damage
that took place after the much-publicised Sudan by light
Red colour scares in 2005 and 2007? But what • Decorative or artistic purposes such as cake icing.
are the alternatives?
In South Africa, the Regulations Relating to Food
It comes as no surprise that the global beverage and Colourants (R1008) are governed by the Foodstuffs,
confectionery industries are making a shift towards Cosmetics and Disinfectant Act (No 54 of 1972),
natural colours, as more and more consumers whereby food products containing additives are
demand a natural and healthy alternative to their labelled by law. This gives consumers an opportunity
artificial counterparts. to decide whether they want to buy a product that
contains a specific artificial colourant.
“There are a number of natural
Natural food dye revolution
chemical food compounds that can be
There are a number of natural chemical food
used to colour foods to eliminate the compounds that can be used to colour foods
use of artificial colourants” to eliminate the use of artificial colourants. As a
result, a growing number of natural food dyes are
In living colour being commercially produced. This is partly due to
People associate certain colours with certain consumer concerns surrounding synthetic dyes.
flavours. More importantly, the colour of food can Natural colours are derived from various vegeta-
influence the perceived flavour. For this reason, ble, animal and mineral substances, such as seeds,
food manufacturers add dyes to their products. fruits and vegetables, leaves, algae and insects. They
Sometimes the aim is to simulate a colour that are multi-functional and can be used to colour food,
is perceived by the consumer as “natural”, such drugs and cosmetics, according to the food additives
as adding red colouring to glacé cherries (which website, [Link]. According to the
would otherwise be beige). Sometimes it is for application, a suitable natural colour can be achieved
effect, like green, pink or yellow flavoured milk. by bearing in mind the factors, such as pH, heat, light,
Most consumers are aware that foods with storage and other ingredients used.
bright or unnatural colours, such as certain cereals,
most likely contain food colouring. However, fewer Some examples of natural colours include:
people know that seemingly "natural" foods, such as • Caramel colouring, made from caramelised
oranges and salmon, are sometimes also dyed to sugar, used in cola products and cosmetics
mask natural variations in colour, according to the • Annatto, a reddish-orange dye made from the
United States Food and Drug Administration’s Food seed of the Achiote
Colour Facts. • A green dye made from chlorella algae
Colour variation in foods throughout the • Cochineal, a red dye derived from the cochineal
seasons and the effects of processing and insect, Dactylopius coccus
storage, often make colour additions commercially • Beetroot juice
advantageous so as to maintain the colours which • Turmeric
consumers have come to expect. Some of the • Saffron
primary reasons include: • Paprika.
MILK & JUICE SEPTEMBER ’08 | 45
CONSUMER TRENDS
TABLE 1: Natural food colours
Naturally occurring in Colour Pigment Characteristics
Black grapes, Water-soluble pigments responsible for attractive red,
blackcurrants, purple and blue colours of many flowers, fruits and
cherries, elderberries, Red/blue Anthocyanins vegetables. They are sensitive to pH change, reddest
red cabbage, in strongly acidic conditions and become bluer as pH
strawberries rises. Used in drinks, jams and sugar confectionery.
Colour found in beetroot, water-soluble and has
limited stability when exposed to light, heat and
Beetroot Pink Betanin
oxygen. Particularly suited to frozen, dried and short
shelf-life products such as ice creams and yoghurt.
Water-soluble pigment derived from the female
cochineal insect. Cochineal has the advantage
Carminic acid
Cochineal Red of being stable when exposed to heat, light and
(carmine)
oxygen. Uses include alcoholic beverages and
processed meat products.
The most widely distributed natural plant pigment,
present in all green leafy vegetables. Is a green, oil
Alfalfa grass, nettles, Chlorophylls and
Green soluble colour. Water-soluble and relatively stable
parsley, spinach chlorophyllins
when exposed to heat and light. Uses include sugar
confectionery and dairy products.
Carotenoids:
Mixed carotenes,
beta-carotene,
bixin/norbixin, Over 400 different carotenoids have been identified
Annatto, carrots, capsanthin/ in red/orange/yellow fruits, vegetables and plants.
Yellow
oranges, prawns, capsorubin, Nature produces carotenoids at the rate of 1 000
Orange
red peppers, saffron, lycopene, million tons per year. Most are oil-soluble, heat
Red
tomatoes, palm fruit apocarotenal, stable and not affected by pH change. Uses include
apocarotenal, margarine, dairy products and soft drinks.
(ethyl ester)
lutein,
canthaxanthin
A well-known spice and widely used in cookery. Its
pigment, curcumin, is oil-soluble and tends to fade
Turmeric Yellow Curcumin in light, but has good heat stability. Gives a lemon
yellow shade and applications include colouring
pickles, soups and confectionery.
Used for fortification and colouring. Water-soluble,
Riboflavin
Eggs, milk, yeast Yellow heat stable and used in dairy products, cereals and
(Vitamin B2)
dessert mixes.
Carbonised vegetable Vegetable carbon black is a heat- and light-insoluble
Black Carbon black
material pigment used primarily in sugar confectionery.
Caramel is water-soluble and associated with the
colour and flavour of baked foods. It is heat and light
Melanoidins
Brown Melanoidins stable, but stability in different food systems depends
(Caramel)
on the type of caramel used. It is used in baked
goods and soft drinks.
Source: [Link] Continued on page 49
MILK & JUICE SEPTEMBER ’08 | 47
