Why colour is more than just aesthetics
A product often tastes good even before you’ve tried it. After all, when people talk about a berry drink, they usually automatically expect it to look red or purple. Lemon is immediately associated with yellow, and kiwi with green. These colour associations therefore influence the recognition of flavour, the perception of sweetness and acidity, and the product’s overall appeal.
At the same time, many brands deliberately use unusual colours – such as a bold blue – to make their products stand out more on the shelf or on social media.
Beta-carotene
Beta-carotene (also known as provitamin A) is a precursor to vitamin A found in various types of fruit and vegetables. Beta-carotene is used as a natural yellow to orange colouring agent in food. For example, it is used to colour products with vanilla, lemon or orange flavourings.
Beetroot
Beetroot is a plant whose root is red on the inside. When processed into juice or powder, beetroot can be used as a natural colouring agent. It is well suited to giving products with flavours such as red fruits, strawberry or pomegranate the right colour.
Matcha
Matcha, a ground green tea used in the Japanese tea ceremony, has been all the rage for years now. But this green tea powder isn’t just a hit for its flavour; matcha is also used as a natural colouring agent. Matcha can be used to achieve a pale green colour. It is therefore particularly suitable for colouring products with green apple, kiwi and pistachio flavours.
Spirulina
Spirulina is derived from the cyanobacteria Arthrospira platensis or Arthrospira maxima. It is used as a green superfood in ‘Greens’ and is responsible for their colour. Its green hue is slightly darker than that of matcha.
As spirulina powder often forms suspended particles in water, the powder is not particularly suitable for colouring outside of ‘Greens’. Spirulina concentrates, on the other hand, are used, for example, in mixtures of naturally colouring foods.
Blue spirulina
Blue spirulina is also derived from Arthrospira platensis or Arthrospira maxima. Unlike green spirulina, however, it is not the whole microalgae that is used here; instead, the phycocyanin is specifically extracted. This gives the raw material its characteristic blue colour.
Ube
Ube is a purple yam from the Philippines and the latest food trend on social media. Ube is used, for example, in desserts, baked goods and drinks. Its colour ranges from blue to purple, due to the anthocyanins contained in the root. This makes ube ideal, for instance, for colouring products with a blueberry flavour.
Challenge 1:
The colour changes
Achieving exactly the right colour can be difficult, depending on the base matrix and the desired colour scheme. For example, some dyes are sensitive to pH levels, acidity, certain other ingredients or specific processing steps, amongst other factors.
Our solution
We test various variants right from the sample development stage: where necessary, we adjust the formulation, combine colourants, use alternative raw materials and optimise the product base.
Challenge 2:
The flavour suffers
Colourful foods have their own distinct flavours; for example, beetroot tastes slightly earthy in large quantities, whilst spirulina has a rather seaweed-like flavour. However, this is particularly noticeable at higher concentrations.
Our Solution
We test the smallest possible amount required to achieve the desired colour without adversely affecting the taste.
Challenge 3:
The powder clumps together
An often underestimated issue. Beetroot juice powder, for example, can be hygroscopic. Depending on the quantity used and the rest of the recipe’s ingredients, this may lead to the powder forming lumps.
Our solution
Here, too, we test the smallest possible quantity required to achieve the desired colour shade without adversely affecting the consistency. In addition, our laboratory team carries out stability and caking tests to identify any problems at an early stage.