NATURAL
DYES
In recent years the market has suffered a change towards the consumption of natural origin products, this tendency is mostly visible in specific categories such as child products, like bakery, beverages and snacks. This conduct has been influenced by a possible attribution that synthetic dyes might have an effect in children’s hyperactivity; this influence gained relevance in the year 2007 with the Southampton study publication (McCann et al, 2007). This trend has encouraged manufacturers to seek to use natural colorants, which represents a challenge for manufacturers of natural colors, who to achieve the tonality and stability that the product requires have several possibilities, some of the most important are mentioned below. Continuation:
Annatto: It is another dye for yellow foods. It is obtained from Bixa orellana seeds. The colors that it produces range from yellow to orange. Bixin and norbixin, components that give Annatto its color.
Anthocyanin: For example, the juice of the black carrot produces, goes from a shiny pink to a red color and the grape extract gives a reddish-purple color to the beverages.
The βeta-carotene: It is a precursor for Vitamin A, in addition to developing an orange-yellow color in food. It comes from some types of algae or it is obtained by synthesis in the laboratory, in its natural form it is mainly found in carrots, palm oil and many other vegetables and fruits.
Betanin: It comes from the extraction and purification of Betabel juice, it gives a bluish-red color, due to the compound known as Betanin. There is no limit to its level of usage.
Carmine / cochineal: Extract of the insect Dactylopius coccus. It produces a magenta red hue, present in carmine and cochineal extract, opposed to the colors derived from plant sources. Carmine is generally not stable in acidic foods unless a technology specialty product is used.
Turmeric: Shiny yellow dye obtained from the Curcuma longa L’s roots. The pigments responsible for its color are known as curcuminoids.
Paprika oleoresin: It is extracted from de sweet chili peppers of Capsicum annum. This combination produces a shiny orange to reddish orange hue in foods.
There are other sources widely used in the industry, but due to recent studies, the addition of those ingredients in manufacturers´ formulations has come into disuse despite of being allowed by the authorities. For example: Caramel Color that is obtained from the caramelization of sugars and Titanium Dioxide: Mineral that imparts an opaque appearance. There are two versions: dispersible in water or in oil. The FDA limits its use in food products to 1% by weight.