Another issue is flavor, particularly in colors derived from natural sources—just think of the spice and colorant turmeric, although deflavored versions are available. Even caramel color requires caution, says Tuescher, with “some very mild and others with a significant flavor contribution. It depends on the classification of caramel color you are using.”
Show me the money
Ingredient cost, specifically the actual cost-in-use, is key. “A color blend that is three to four times more expensive than another could still have a final cost-in-use that is smaller than the less costly blend,” notes Madkins. He also points out that “high-performance” ingredients, such as microencapsulated colors, may be slightly more costly than simpler color systems, but may provide improved performance and stability in the finished product.
“For applications where either a powder or liquid can be used, often powders are selected instead of liquid systems,” Madkins explains. “The thought is that powders are cheaper, bulk, even commodity items.” However, while liquid systems or predispersed color systems (dispersions) of the powders may increase the formulation cost-in-use slightly, he says manufacturers can obtain savings in several areas: They may be less messy, which results in a cleaner plant facility and reduced cleanup time. They may ease mixing in the finished product. And they can improve batch-to-batch consistency, which “will dramatically outweigh using the lower-cost powders, longer-term,” he says.
Replacing more-expensive ingredients is de rigueur for colors. Using caramel color is a standard technique when the cost of cocoa rises, says Terry Geerts, application chemist, Sethness. The actual use rate depends on the product, as, for instance, “it’s much easier to do in a mass-market cookie than a high-end one,” he says. “There, you might look at a 50% (cocoa) reduction if flavor is not a factor, just color.” This technique is often used in ice cream sandwich basecakes and chocolate beverages.
Still, colors can cost-effectively enhance quality in surprising ways. Tuescher describes how adding caramel helped balance the flavor of a cappuccino product: “Taste tests showed the actual amount of coffee used was too dominating over the other flavors. Removing some of the coffee and adding caramel color gave it the dark, rich look they wanted without excess coffee flavor.”
In the end, “selecting the optimal colorant or color system for a given application, taking into account processing, ingredients and shelf life, means you will also utilize the most-suitable usage rate and not be concerned with any color loss, whether in processing or during the shelf life of the food product,” says Madkins.
Color Compendium
The FDA defines a color additive in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 70 as any “that is a dye, pigment, or other substance made by a process of synthesis or similar artifice, or extracted, isolated, or otherwise derived, with or without intermediate or final change of identity, from a vegetable, animal, mineral, or other source” that, when added to a food, imparts a color. Colorants are generally divided into two categories, commonly known as artificial and natural, and legally called “certifiable” or “exempt from certification” respectively.
Certified (21 CFR Part 74 Subpart A) colors approved for general U.S. food use include: FD&C Blue Nos. 1 and 2, FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red Nos. 3 and 40, and FD&C Yellow Nos. 5 and 6. Orange B and Citrus Red No. 2 are restricted to specific uses. FD&C colors are available as water-soluble dyes and water-insoluble lakes (dyes extended on an aluminum hydrate substrate).
Exempt (21 CFR Part 73 Subpart A), or natural, colors include pigments derived from natural sources such as plants, minerals or animals, and manmade counterparts of natural derivatives. These include common coloring agents: annatto extract, beta-carotene, beet powder, canthaxanthin, caramel color, carrot oil, cochineal extract (carmine); cottonseed flour, toasted, partially defatted, cooked; and fruit juice, paprika, paprika oleoresin, riboflavin, saffron, turmeric, turmeric oleoresin, and vegetable juice. B-apo-8'-carotenal, ferrous gluconate, grape color extract, grape skin extract (enocianina), and titanium dioxide are restricted to specific uses.