Colors

color additive is any dye, pigment or substance which when added or applied to food, drug or cosmetic, or to human body, is capable (alone or through reactions with other substances) of imparting color.

exempt from certification consist of what are called natural and nature-identical colors

include pigments derived from animal, vegetable, and mineral sources

FDA uses the term “exempt color additives” to indicate that they are exempt from the certification process

still meet certain legal criteria for specifications and purity.

Carmine

Carmine is today primarily used as a food colouring and for cosmetics, especially as a lipstick colouring

Carminic acid, typically 17–24% of dried insects' weight, can be extracted from the body and eggs then mixed with aluminum or calcium salts to make carmine dye

Turmeric

Curcumin-good heat and acid stability but sensitive to light

Main colouring pigment is curcumin

Used : curry, bakery products

Paprika

Main colouring pigment capsanthin, capsorubin and beta carotene

Fairly stable to heat and light

Orange red color

Used :meats, soups, sauces and snacks

Anthocyanins

Source: grapes and blackcurrant

red at low pH to brownish green at high pH

Fairly stable to heat and light

pH dependent coloring agent

Used : beverages, sugar confectionary, fruit preparations

ANNATTO

Oldest colorants for food, cosmetics & textiles

Yellow to red color

unstable to light & oxygen

water solubility

Most oil soluble

well-suited for high-fat, low-moisture foods without the special considerations of using an F.D.&C lake

can provide transparent color to liquid, oil-based products. Eg. Annatto, used in cheddar cheese ,it binds to milk protein.

color stay with the curd rather than washing away with the whey

nutraceutical value. For example, carotenoids and anthocyanins currently recognised for their value as antioxidants

Stability

sensitive to light and heat exposure. Most natural colors can be used in only a limited range of pH

example, annatto turns pink under acidic conditions, and pHs greater than 7 make turmeric look red and rapidly fadeopic

Metal ions, such as iron, copper, magnesium and aluminum, can catalyze oxidative color loss in carotenoids

carmine, carotenoids and paprika can fade in the presence of oxygen.

Available colors

not available in blue or green. Admittedly, these are not used for many applications besides confections.

Concentration

takes much higher levels of a natural color to obtain the same tint. As much as 10 to 100 times the level depending on the application

Objectionable off flavors and off odors

typically 4 to 10 times more concentrated than the native juice –this can cause objectionable off flavors and off odors that can seriously impact the customer’s finished product

Cost

costs more money (2 to 10 times the cost of their synthetic equivalents)

encourage acceptance by offsetting color loss caused by exposure to light, temperature extremes and/or moisture

Correcting natural color variation

Enhancing naturally weak colors

Providing a colorful identity to products that would otherwise have little color (e.g., gelatins)

Supplying a fun look to kid-oriented beverages and candies.

man-made and are often referred to as synthetic/artificial colors and have been assigned an FD&C number.

acronym FD&C indicates that these colors are approved by FDA for use in coloring foods, drugs, and cosmetics

Each batch of certified colors are tested by the manufacturer and the FDA to ensure that they meet strict specifications for purity

tend to be more economical (smaller quantity is required to give the same color intensity); easily produce uniform, intense colors; stand up to heat, light, pH and other factors; and do not add off-flavors.

8 certified synthetic colours

FD&C Blue No 1
FD&C Blue No 2
FD&C Red No 40
FD&C Green No 3
FD&C Yellow No 5
FD&C Yellow No 6
Orange B
Citrus No 2

Water-soluble dyes

dissolve in water and can be manufactured as a powder, granule, or liquid

used in aqueous beverages, dry mixes, confections, and dairy products

Lakes

water-soluble FD&C dyes that are combined with an insoluble material/substrate.

base is aluminium hydroxide, with aluminium cation serving as the precipitant, such that the color adsorbs onto the surface of aluminium hydroxide, which is then dried and ground to appropriate fineness.

impart color by dispersing into the medium

Application

Chewing gum

Dispersing the lake into the gum matrix provides homogenous coloration, despite limited amounts of water that would hinder color development of a dye.

During chewing, the color remains locked inside the gum matrix, instead of leaching out into the consumer’s saliva.

useful in products containing fats and oils

For fat-based systems, lakes may be dispersed into an oil. Eg. chocolates, compound coatings, icings and cookie fillings.

Colored Noodle Products

similar challenge as chewing gum.

Water-soluble dyes may provide excellent coloration to pasta in a package

color will leach out during boiling, resulting in faded noodles on the plate

Year 1907 - 80 colorants available with few of them tested with safety.

Year 1938 –Federal Food Drug and Cosmetics Act of 1938 set up 3 categories

-FD&C colors for use in foods drugs and cosmetics
-D&C colors for use in drugs and cosmetics when in contact with mucous membrane or ingested
-Ext. D&C colors for use in products applied externally