Red Natural Colors for High pH Applications

Abstract

It is said that we taste with our eyes. Colors have a tremendous influence on choice of foods. Natural colors are seeing a huge demand because of consumer trends shifting towards natural ingredients. Common natural colorants in the red category-anthocyanins and carmine -despite being stable and offering a host of advantages, have their limitations. Beet and lycopene colors were evaluated as colors of choice for coloring high pH food applications. Kalsec ® Vegetone® Vivid Red beet color was successfully tried in hard candy and flour salt applications. The applications extend to confectionary and dry beverage mix applications respectively. Kalsec ® Vegetone® Vivid Red beet color imparted a red color to candy whereas control beet product imparted a bluer appearance. Kalsec Vegetone® Rich Red lycopene color was tried in flour salt, beverages and retort applications demonstrating its versatility. Regulations of USA allow beet and lycopene to be used in food products however EU regulations have some limitations which should be followed before deciding on their use.

Integral Extraction of Opuntia ficus-indica Peel Bioproducts via Microwave-Assisted Hydrodiffusion and Hydrodistillation

“…For example, recent stability over time studies of red extracts from Opuntia dillenii added to foodstuff at different pH and stored at different temperatures by scholars in Colombia point to promising utilization of these betanin extracts. 24 Though more costly than synthetic red colorants widely used to increase the appearance of beverage and food and make it attractive such as Red 40 (a red azo dye associated, along with other synthetic colorants, to child hyperactivity), 25 the use of betanin, for example formulated along with lycopene, 26 has the potential to transform a debated health issue into an opportunity for enhancing public health exactly as it would happen when replacing synthetic food antioxidants with olive biophenols. 27 Betanin, indeed, has an exceptionally high free radical scavenging activity being (at pH > 4) 1.5-2 times more active than anthocyanins considered excellent free radical scavengers.…”

Isolation and characterization of a microbial pigment obtained from Serratia marcescens as a natural food colourant

“…Due to legislative demand and consumer concerns regarding synthetic colorings, the demand for naturally derived colorants has increased. Although red is suggested to be a complex color to produce, it occupies the majority share in the color segment of the market (Dabas and Kean, 2014). While there is an increased demand for natural colorants, they were found to display less stability when exposed to light, temperature and pH (Malik et al, 2012).…”