Due to the improvement of consumers' health awareness, natural colors are becoming more and more important as food colorants. Natural food colors do not contain common allergenic ingredients and may even add to the nutritional value of food. Moreover, they give the food an attractive color and appearance, greatly enhancing the aesthetic value of the food. In terms of form, natural food colors can be divided into liquid, gel and powder forms. In terms of application, natural food colors are used in bakery, confectionery, beverages, frozen desserts, sauces, condiments, meat and other foods. The industry for developing and manufacturing natural food colors is growing rapidly due to their eco-friendly nature. Current research into natural food colors is focused on finding new pigments and new sources of known pigments and providing better stability for natural food colors during processing and storage.
Classification
The classification of naturally derived food colors can become very complex because of the wide variety of innate properties of the coloring substances. We mainly discuss the classification based on different sources and different chemical structures.
Natural food colors can be derived from a variety of sources in nature. The main sources are described below.
- Plant
Natural food colors of plant origin are the result of biochemical pathways within the organism, forming a variety of organic compounds with unique physicochemical properties. Carrots, beets, paprikas and radishes are the most common plant sources used to make natural food colors. - Animal
Natural food colors can also originate from different animals. These animals produce a variety of chemical compounds that result in unique colors throughout the animal kingdom. For example, the cochineal is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the natural color carmine is derived. - Microbial
Microbial organisms (bacteria and fungi) have been used to produce different types of natural food colors such as carotenoids and Monascus pigments. The use of microorganisms to produce natural colors is commercially and economically promising because of the ability to control growth conditions and ensure renewability [1].
- Classification by chemical structure
Based on the chemical structure, natural food colors are mainly grouped as pyrrole derivatives, isoprenoid derivatives and flavonoid derivatives.
- Pyrrole derivatives (e.g. chlorophyll)
Pyrroles are characterized by a five-member ring consisting of four carbon atoms and one nitrogen atom. They are the building blocks of many heteroaromatic rings and linear polypyrroles. Chlorophyll is the most widely distributed pigment of the pyrrole derivatives and its structure is that of a porphyrin or tetrapyrole chelated to a centrally located magnesium atom. Chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b are the chlorophylls most commonly used for coloring in the food sector. - Isoprenoid derivatives (e.g. carotenoids)
Isoprenoids are a large and highly diverse family of natural products with great structural diversity and functionality. The presence of conjugated double bond systems or polyene chains enables isoprenoid derivatives to absorb light in the visible spectrum. Carotenoids are the most common natural food color in isoprenoid derivatives. They are lipid-soluble, colored from yellow to orange to red, and are widely distributed in nature. - Flavonoid derivatives (e.g. anthocyanins)
Flavonoids are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants. Of these polyphenolic compounds, anthocyanins are an important subclass of water-soluble pigments. They are water soluble and can give flowers, fruits and other parts of the plant a red, purple and blue color. As a natural pigment, anthocyanins have been widely used in the food field.
Our products
Alfa Chemistry's natural food colors are extracted through advanced technology and they can be used in a wide range of food products. The main list of natural food colors that we are able to offer is listed below.
 Natural Food Colors |
|---|
| Product Name | Color Sample | Color Index No. | E-Number | Main Source | Application |
|---|
| Annatto | 
| 75120 | E160b | Bixa orellana L. | Margarine, butter, snacks, chocolate, salad dressing, bakery products, sauces, etc. |
| Curcumin | 
| 75300 | E100 | Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) | Pickles, soups and confectionery, etc. |
| Chlorophyll | 
| 75810/75815 | E140/E141 | Alfalfa Grass, Nettles, Parsley, Spinach | Sugar confectionery, dairy products, etc. |
| Betanin | 
| 75470 | E162 | Beetroot | Ice creams, yoghurt, etc. |
| Anthocyanins | 
| __ | E163 | Black Grapes, Blackcurrants, Cherries, Elderberries, Red Cabbage, Strawberries | Drinks, jams, sugar confectionery, etc. |
| Caramel | 
| __ | E150 (a, b, c, d) | Melanoidins (caramel) | Baked goods, soft drinks, etc. |
| Paprika | 
| __ | E160c | Peppers | Meat product, sausages, snacks, sauces, etc. |
| Carminic Acid | 
| 75470 | E120 | Cochineal | Alcoholic beverages, processed meat products, etc. |
| Beta Carotene | 
| 40800 | E160a | Carrots | Margarine, dairy products, soft drinks, etc. |
- The color samples shown in the table are only approximate.
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Reference:
- Joshi, V. K.; et al. Microbial pigments. Indian J. Biotechnol. 2003, 2: 362-369.
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
