The characteristics and applications of food colorants

January 23, 2024

01 Food colorants have the following characteristics

(1) Natural colorants have a natural and soft color tone, which can bring people closer to nature. However, natural colorants have poor dyeing ability and uneven dyeing; Synthetic colorants have bright colors and are popular among consumers, especially children and adolescents.

(2) Natural colorants generally come from animals and plants themselves, and have no toxic or side effects on the human body. Compared with synthetic colorants, they are safer. However, synthetic colorants are popular due to their strong coloring power, easy solubility, odorless and tasteless, and affordable prices.

(3) Most natural colorants are sensitive to photothermal, metallic, acid-base, and oxidizing agents, and are unstable under these conditions, causing significant changes in color tone. Synthetic colorants can compensate for this disadvantage.

(4) Some natural colorants can serve as natural antioxidants and preservatives, but due to safety issues with synthesized antioxidants and preservatives, more and more consumers are inclined to use natural antioxidants and preservatives.

(5) Most natural colorants also have both nutritional value and pharmacological effects, and food colorants have great application prospects in the medical field. For example, red cabbage pigment has good preventive and therapeutic effects on human heart disease and arteriosclerosis.

02 Factors affecting the optimization of food colorants

1、 Safety factors of food coloring agents

With the continuous in-depth research of toxicologists and analytical chemists, many synthetic colorants have been recognized, and the drawbacks of synthetic colorants have gradually been exposed. Most artificially synthesized colorants are azo type compounds, many of which can metabolize into toxic side effects in the human body α— Naphthylamine and β — Naphthylamine. Due to the unsafe factors of synthetic colorants, strict laws and regulations have been established both domestically and internationally for these edible synthetic colorants. China has also conducted sampling surveys on the edible colorants currently being produced and used in various regions.

We know that many substances exhibit certain toxic side effects when consumed in excess of a certain amount, and food coloring agents are no exception. As long as colorants are used within the scope allowed by the country, they generally do not pose any health hazards to the human body. However, there are currently many types of food colorants, and foods with added colorants can be seen everywhere. It is possible that the amount of colorants added to a certain food is qualified, but consumers who consume multiple or excessive amounts of one or more colorants will still have toxic side effects.

2、 Stability factors of food colorants

The breakthrough point in studying natural colorants is to improve their quality and stability, and chemists from various countries have conducted extensive research on this. Usually, research on the stability of natural colorants involves the following aspects:

(1) Lighting factors. It refers to the color change of colorants under direct sunlight. For example, chlorophyll is widely present in the leaves and stems of plants and is easily decomposed when exposed to light. In order to improve its stability, it is generally made into copper sodium salts.

(2) Temperature factors. Considering the heat resistance of colorants, safflower yellow pigment has poor heat resistance. If used in foods with high Vc content, its stability can be improved.

(3) Acid-base factors. It refers to the changes in color and stability exhibited by colorants under acidic or alkaline conditions, such as β— Carotenoids are widely present in carrots and algae, and are relatively stable under weak alkaline conditions. However, they are easily decomposed under acidic conditions. Adding a small amount of Vc can improve their stability; The color of rose eggplant pigment changes with the pH value of the solution, appearing red under acidic conditions, purple in neutral conditions, and blue in alkaline conditions.

(4) Metal ion factors. Common colors include copper ions, sodium ions, magnesium ions, iron ions, etc. Gardenia pigment has weak tolerance to iron ions. Some metal ions can cause colorants to change color or even fade, while others can enhance the stability of certain colorants. For example, copper sodium salts made from chlorophyll can improve stability.

(5) Antioxidant and reducing agent factors. Commonly used antioxidants include Vc and sodium thiosulfate. For example, safflower yellow pigment is sensitive to metal ions due to its poor heat resistance. Adding a small amount of Vc can greatly improve its stability.

(6) Factors affecting compounds such as sucrose, alum, and tartrate. For example, the stability of digitalis yellow pigment can be significantly increased after adding alum and tartrate.

(7) The stability of certain colorants can also be improved when combined with another colorant, such as the significant enhancement of stability after the combination of beet red and vegetable red colorants.

(8) Solubility factors. Grape skin pigment and perilla pigment are both water-soluble colorants, while red rice pigment and purple grass pigment are lipid soluble colorants. In addition, the salt and microbial resistance of colorants also have a certain impact on the colorants themselves.

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