At FFCE, we assist you in creating and manufacturing colorants of excellent quality that give out uniform and lively colors in food and drinks. The production of colorants therefore involves a careful choice of crude pigments and dyes and the optimising of processing parameters. Our expertise as food color consultants also guarantees that your colorants are safe, and stable with enhanced compliance with regulatory requirements to complement the aesthetic value of your products.

We provide Support in the choice of pigments: natural and synthetic, based on the requirements of your product. We also help in Formulation and Stability Testing that guarantees your colorants remain as bright as the day they were prepared irrespective of the conditions that they will be subjected to. Besides that, we also offer services related to Compliance and Industry Standards, Audit and Audit Reporting, Follow-Up and Verification in addition to Regulatory Compliance Counseling. We also help to source third-party manufacturing partners to grow up your businesses. 

What are Colorants?

Coloring matters are prepared in synergist form that are then added to food and drinks to give these such a color. They can be classified into two main categories: natural and synthetic. There are two major types of colorants, the natural, which comes from plants, animals or minerals and the synthetic, which is made chemically. Its preparation involves choosing the raw material that can be extracted from natural sources such as beet juice, turmeric, spirulina or synthetic. Natural colorants are found in fruits, vegetables, spices or other plant-based products while synthetic colorants are manufactured artificially to give even better and uniform colors.

The selected ones are normally subjected to processes that will enable the extraction of the color. This may entail using force such as grinding, pressing or extracting using solvent body of pigments or dyes. When extracted, the color is intensified to the required level. This concentration process may involve washing from impurities and matching the colorant’s performance from one batch to the other.

Then, the colorant is fixed so that the final fabric does not lose its colour after some time has passed. Stabilization could be done by changes in either the pH, incorporating preservative or by placing the colourant in a protective shield. However, as mentioned earlier, the colorant is subjected to several trials on various food and beverages with a view of establishing its stability whether in normal stability at room temperatures or extreme conditions such as high or low temperatures, extreme pH levels or after exposure to light. The final product is then packed best in powder or liquid form so as to prolong its shelf life while at the same time making it easy to be incorporated by producers.

Types of Colorants

Colorants can be categorized based on their source and the type of color they impart:

  1. Natural Colorants
  • Plant-Based Colorants: These colorants are mainly extracted from different parts of the plant, and are normally used to make foods and drinks more attractive to the eyes.
  • Chlorophyll: It is extracted from green plants and it gives a green color. Some of the product that contains this chemical additive includes drinks, beverages, ice cream and candies.
  • Beta-carotene: Found in carrots and other orange vegetables beta-carotene is a provitamin A carotenoid that gives an orange or yellow color. It is applied to dairy products, confectionery goods and in beer and wines.
  • Anthocyanins: These are sourced from berries, red cabbage and grapes and offer the red, blue or purple colour. They are mostly employed in beverages, jams, and confectionery products or in any product that contains succade.
  • Curcumin: Curcumin which imparts a bright yellow color is extracted from turmeric. Widely used in sauce, snack-foods and baked confectioneries.
  • Animal-Based Colorants: These colourants are of animal origin and therefore are not widely used as they are prohibited in certain diets and are considered in ethical violations.
  • Cochineal: This colorant gets obtained from a cochineal insect and gives a red tint to the food it colors. It has its uses in the production of confectionery products, in drinks as well as cosmetics.
  • Mineral-Based Colorants: As with colours, the combinations of natural mineral pigments can be wide.
  • Titanium Dioxide: One of the naturally occurring minerals, titanium dioxide is especially applied to endow whiteness to the product. It has many applications in confectionery, dairy products and bakery products.
  1. Synthetic Colorants
  • Certified Color Additives: These are synthetic colorants that have been accredited by various authorities to be used in foods and beverages. It is identified in form of bright colors and has relatively more stability than other bulbs.
  • FD&C Red No. 40: An artificial red colorant added to soft drinks, candies and cakes.
  • FD&C Yellow No. 5: Offers a bright yellow shade popular for beverages, snacks and desserts.
  • FD&C Blue No. 1: Blue food coloring particularly used in the production of beers, caramels, cookies, and cakes etc.
  • Dye and Lake Forms: Water-insoluble synthetic colorants can be in dye from or in lake form and thus, they can be used in many food applications.
  • Dyes: This includes in beers, squash, ice cream and bakery product among others.
  • Lakes: Applied in fat-based products such as chocolate-coated candies and etc.
  • Considerations of Colorants

While colorants enhance the visual appeal of food, it’s essential to consider their health implications:

  1. Natural Colorants
  • Health Benefits: For instance, anthocyanins and beta-carotene, which are used, as natural colorants, have health benefits owing to their antioxidant effects.
  • Dietary Preferences: Natural colorants are used because those shoppers who are conscious of clean labels with no artificial preservatives, seek them.
  1. Synthetic Colorants
  • Regulatory Approval: Most synthetic colorants are scientifically analyzed and passed through regulatory bodies such as the FDA and the EFSA. They are safe when used up to set parameters.
  • Allergies and Sensitivities: Most people have complained that they have had reactions such as hyperactivity and allergies to some synthetic colorants. Since what is always needed in a consumer society is that they be well-informed; product labeling should always be done to achieve this objective.
  • In the following section of this paper, the specific roles that each of the above components plays in the production process of colorants is illustrated.
  • The synthesis of coloring matters still involves a number of steps so as to attain the right color hue and stability conclusively.

Production Process

  1. Extraction and Synthesis
  • Natural Colorants: Some plant colorants are processed by pressing, grinding, or through solvent extraction. Some of the natural colorants are derived in extracting the color from the color source material, such as cochineal insects.
  • Synthetic Colorants: The dyes used here are produced from chemical synthesis in order to produce robust coloration that does not fade simply.
  1. Purification
  • Natural Colorants: They are then isolated and purified from other associated impurities to produce a quality and safe product on the market.
  • Synthetic Colorants: The synthesized compounds are then re-crystallized and characterized in terms of safety and quality standards.
  • 3. Standardization
  • Consistency: Natural and synthetic colorants are also get standardized to control with the same color strength and quality.

Applications of Colorants

Large amounts of colorants are added to food to make it gain specific colors and enhance its appearance.

  1. Beverages
  • Soft Drinks: Intense colour-producing agents include synthetic coloring agents such as FD&C Red No. 40 and FD&C Yellow No. 5.
  • Juices: For natural colours, fruit juices use anthocyanins and beta–carotene pigments.
  1. Confectionery
  • Candies: Natural and synthetic colorants are used to create bright and vivid colors, for a variety of products.
  • Gummies: Flavourants like curcumin and chlorophyll are added to produce colored gummy candies.
  1. Baked Goods
  • Cakes and Pastries: Some of the natural colours used in bake wear are beet juice powder while synthetic colours include FD&C Blue No. 1 used in cake and pastries decorations.
  • Cookies: Vegetable colors are added to produce beautiful colors in the dough or icing of cookies.
  1. Dairy Products
  • Ice Cream: Sometimes the use of colorants is necessary to intensify the look of the added flavors such as strawberry, chocolate or mint.
  • Yogurt: Fruit and vegetable juices are widely used to color natural yogurt.