Food+Colors+by+Shen

Food Colors by Tey Yi Shen Linked from Food colors Article

** Colors Au Naturel ** 1. “Other  countries have different rules regarding the types of colors allowed, and their usage. ” Explain this statement. European Union does not make any distinctions based on certification; all approved colorants receive a European Economic Community "E" number. Colors derived from natural sources approved outside of the United States include compounds such as anthocyanin, carbon black, curcumin, chlorophyll and lutein (from marigold). But usage rules vary widely. Restrictions in levels or product usage might be in force, and these may vary from nation to nation, even within the EU. For an example, synthesized ß-carotene is considered as an art ificial color in Asia, but in the U.S. and EU, it's still considered to be a natural color, although it is a synthesized product.

2. Can red beet color used for strawberry ice cream carry the label of "naturally colored"  u   nder FDA regulations ? A ny color added to a food product cannot be considered "natural," no matter what is the source of that coloring, unless the colorant is natural to the food product itself -- strawberry juice that gives strawberry ice-cream a pink hue, for example. If red beet color is used for strawberry ice cream, it would not be considered "naturally colored," because beet juice is not a natural component of strawberries or ice cream. 3. What is the advantage for food designers on the prohibition of the word "natural" on the label? Declaring a natural color by name on an ingredient statement is actually considered a plus for the food products, the idea that a consumer may view annatto extract as more natural than FD&C Yellow No. 5 and FD&C Yellow No. 6.

4 . Why natural colors are usually more expensve than the synthetic colors? Natural colors require manufacturing, concentration and purification steps, and contain less pigment in a given volume. 5. What are the factors that cause natural colors to have more color variations than FD&Cs ? Growing conditions, variety and source of plant.

6. What are the main side effect  of   natural pigments, which are effective antioxidants ? They prone to oxidation, thus affecting their stability. 7. What is Annatto? It is a yellow food colorant comes from the seeds of a tropical evergreen tree, Bixa orellana L. The pigments that produce the yellow to orange color range are the carotenoids bixin and norbixin.