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FOOD FOCUSTHAILAND
SPECIAL
FOCUS
in very low cost. “Natural Colors” refers to colorswhichare sourced
from plant/animal/fungus. The coloring components are selectively
extracted and stabilized using emulsifiers, acidity regulators, etc.
They are generally labelled with E-numbers. “Coloring Foodstuffs”,
alsoknownasclean labels,areprocessedminimally from theirorigins,
andare labelledas their origin, e.g. black carrot concentrate, sweet
potato juice, etc.
ReformulationChallenges
The main challenge when matching an artificially colored product
withnatural colors, apart fromachievingagoodmatch, is toensure
that theflavor, appearance, stabilityandevenpricearenot severely
deviated from the target.Themarket has tounderstand that fruit and
vegetable juices are not as concentrated as artificial colors, hence
requiring higher dosages to be used. The increase usage level
presents the potential risk of imparting unwanted flavors, that may
be detectable in the final product.
Color Stability
In every reformulation task, the parameters and processing of the
application must be taken into consideration. An ingredient which
benefits a pigment may be destabilizing to another. For example,
Anthocyanins thrive inhighacidmedium,while thenaturalbluecolor,
spirulina, fades rapidly at low pH. After successfully choosing a
pigment for theapplication, thepigment has tobe subjected toheat
processingandshelf-lifestability,whichexposes thesamples to light
and oxygen, two catalysts of fading, especially for natural colors.
ThePrice forAchievingCleaner Labels
Price isanotherelementcontributing to thecomplications facedduring
reformulationand isverymuchdependenton theshadeandpigment
being used. “On average, the CIU (Cost-In-Use) increases 5-15X
when converting from artificial to natural colors”.
Looking to theFuture
Despite the challenges posed when converting from
artificial to natural colors, we are still seeing strong
demand and growth for the latter as consumers are
becoming more aware of the health benefits that will
impact from takingnatural ingredients in the foods they
consume.This, in turn, spurs the foodmanufacturers to
accelerate theirswitch tousenatural ingredients in their
products.
In2016,Mintel foundof consumerswhodrinkcarbonatedsoft drinks
and/or sparkling beverages 32% were concerned about artificial
ingredients and 20% stated the use of all-natural ingredients greatly
influenced their purchase selection. It is estimated that by 2020 global
salesof clean label foodandbeverageproductscould reach$180billion.
Colorants:AnEvolutionof Perception
Asmanufacturers begin to reformulate tomeet the clean label needs of
their consumer base, certain fundamental issues must be addressed
—one sucharea is colorants.
Colors arewidely used in the foodandbeverage industries tomake
food and beverage productsmore appealing, correct natural variations
in colors, and replace color lost in processing. Color is often themajor
contributor inpurchasingdecisionsmadebyconsumers. Foodscientists
will useanarray of products toachieve thedesired color attributes for a
specific foodor beverage item- ranging fromnatural toartificial.
Previously, artificial colorshavebeeneasy touseandare ingeneral
not affected by other ingredients or production processes. Beverage
producerswant their product tobeattractive throughout theentire shelf-
life.Consistency iskey for foodcompanies tomaintain theirbrand image
and integrity.
While the clean label base has grown, we are also seeing the push
tomoveaway fromartificialcolors.Coloringagentsofnaturalorigin (which
areminimally processed and products of fruit or vegetable juice) are in
high demand. These alternatives are considered “natural” or “cleaner”
than their chemical and artificial counter parts.
WhatActually is “Natural Coloring
1
”?
It is important tounderstand thatcurrently there isnotacodifieddefinition
for natural whendiscussing coloring.Mostmanufacturersareguidedby
thecountries’ legislationswhendetermining thenaturalityofan ingredient.
Colors are broadly classified into “Artificial”, “Natural”, “Coloring
Foodstuffs”. The first refers to colors which are typically from
petrochemicalssource.Theyareusuallyverybrightand intense, resulting
CleanLabelStruggle...
NaturalColors inBeverage
The influenceof theclean labelmovement hasbeen felt byalmost
every facetof the industrial food industry,and thebeveragesegment
isnoexception. Thedemand for clean label beveragealternatives
onlycontinues togrowandmanufacturershave toevolve.Consumer
concernshaveexpanded fromavoidingknownallergens toseeking
out foods and beverages believed to promote healthier lifestyles.
Thismassive shift inpriorities is redefining the foodandbeverage
industry.
