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Ecuadorian Rainforest offers a range of vibrant ingredients to add color to your products. These ingredients not only bring a certain hue to your formulation but are also derived from natural, nutritious sources found in nature. For an alternative to artificial coloring agents, try these natural colors.
Natural colorants may bring more than just a bright color to products. The use of natural sources of color may also bring in the source’s nutrient content. Blueberry, for example, may give a dark blueish tint to a product. Blueberry also contains dietary fiber essential for gut health and a serving may contain up to 25% of the daily requirement of Vitamin C.
Another popular natural colorant is tomato. Tomatoes bring a bright-red color into the mix along with 15% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin A and 20% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C in a ½ cup serving.
The demand for natural colorants is growing steadily. According to an article on BeverageDaily.com, the global natural colorant market is predicted to be worth $1.7 billion by 2020. The article says, “Increasing health consciousness has led to the growth of the clean label trend in all regions of the world. More than 70% of consumers in America are willing to pay high prices for natural ingredients based food products and beverages.”
Food manufacturers are responding quickly to consumer demand. An article in the Wall Street Journal goes over one such food manufacturer, General Mills, and its journey switching from artificial coloring to natural coloring. “[R]esearchers are responding to Americans increasingly rejecting artificial flavorings, dyes, and preservatives and demanding food with ingredients that they can find in their own pantries,” says the article about General Mills’ lab.
Natural colorants are a perfect addition to any type of food or beverage. From desserts and snacks to sports drinks, the addition of natural colorants gives your finished product color along with the ingredients consumers are looking for.
Some ingredients that may add natural colors to your product formulation are:
Tomato, Cherry, Purple Corn, Carrot, Blackberry, Cranberry, Red Pepper, Spinach, Zucchini, Asparagus
References:
1. Blueberry Nutrition (n.d.). In U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council. Retrieved from http://www.blueberrycouncil.org/healthy-living/blueberry-nutrition/
2. Household USDA Foods Fact Sheet: Tomatoes, Fresh (2012 October). In United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved from https://www.whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/factsheets/HHFS_TOMATOES_FRESH_Oct2012.pdf
3. Singh, I. and Tyagi, I. (2015, September 30) “Global market for natural food colors to reach $1.7bn by 2020.” Retrieved from http://www.beveragedaily.com/Markets/Global-market-for-natural-food-colors-to-reach-1.7bn-by-2020
4. Gasparro, A. (2015, December 1) “How Big Food Is Using Natural Flavors to Win Consumer Favor.” Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-big-food-is-using-natural-flavors-to-win-consumer-favor-1448989427