Organic vs. Natural

Several methods can be used to process oil and keep it organic. The same methods can also be considered natural when used on nonidentity-preserved or GMO crops. “We do mainly hexane extraction for our oil, but have initiated using a supercritical CO2 extraction—a low temperature process that will extend the shelf-life stability of the oil,” Volpe explains. “We are looking also at a product made from supercritical CO2 extraction that does not have to be refined, bleached or deodorized. We will investigate its stability in a number of applications very shortly.”

Colorful lines in the sand

For colors, natural and organic are quite different, according to Byron D. Madkins, director of food and beverage development and applications-color, Chr. Hansen, Inc., Milwaukee, WI. “Natural colors are those colors that are derived from sources in nature—e.g., plants, fruits, vegetables—and that are regulated as exempt from certification,” as outlined in 21 CFR Part 73, he says.

Synthetic colorants, such as FD&C Red 40 or FD&C Yellow 5, require individual batch certification by the FDA before they can be sold into the marketplace, Madkins explains. FDA tests for, among other things, purity, salts and heavy metals, and it certifies every batch that is manufactured and subsequently sold in the United States. “The exempt colors, or natural colors, are, in fact, exempt from this protocol,” he says. One caveat: Unless the color is natural to the food product itself, FDA requires the product to be labeled as “artificially colored” (21 CFR 101.22).

Madkins notes that natural colors that are certified organic require proper documentation and approvals before the seed, growth, harvest, extraction, processing and final production of the natural color. No synthetic colors can be deemed organic, according to the regulations.

The phrase “nature identical,” identical chemically to the form found in nature, is making waves in the color community. “This is the phrase that is used mostly with the color beta carotene,” Madkins explains. “This colorant, even though most of the forms used in the food industry are actually synthetically manufactured, was petitioned to the FDA as being nature identical. This designation was approved by the FDA, and beta carotene is regulated as an exempt colorant in 21 CFR Part 73, with the other colorants that are from natural sources.”

Cost is always a top consideration for color formulations. “While natural colors will probably never be as cheap as synthetic colorants, the actual cost in use in using natural colors in place of synthetic colors has dramatically improved as compared to many years ago,” says Madkins. Using natural colors provides many benefits. “They allow for a cleaner ingredient declaration or label for the finished product,” he says. “In addition, with the use of natural colors, the shade range is also widened.”

Differentiating texturizers

From a texturant perspective, natural and organic are two different things, notes Cheryl Austin, technical information and compliance manager, Cargill Texturizing Solutions Quality Assurance, Wayzata, MN. “A natural, or naturally sourced, ingredient may be suitable for use in organic foods, but not on the basis of its ‘naturalness’ alone,” she says. “An ingredient that may be suitable for use in organic foods may not qualify as a natural foodstuff,” as defined by her company. She adds that “natural” describes a trait or characteristic, whereas “organic” describes a process from an ingredient point of view.

Gums, however, are often derived from a natural source, notes Frances Bowman, marketing specialist, TIC Gums, Inc., Belcamp, MD. “A majority of gums come from all-natural sources, such as tree exudates, seeds and seaweed,” she says. “These gums include gum acacia, guar gum, locust bean gum, alginate, agar and inulin. Gums that have been grown, harvested and processed according to organic regulations can be labeled organic. Many of the regulations are in place to ensure that the ingredient can be traced from the source to the finished form.”

In order for nonorganic products to be used as ingredients or processing aids in organic products, the nonorganic products must also meet the requirements of NOP regulation §205.105 (non-GMO, no sewage sludge and nonirradiated). “Where nonorganic agricultural products are used as ingredients or processing aids in organic and made with organic products—with usage levels at up to 5% and 30%, respectively—the original organism that produced the product must not be genetically modified,” Austin says. “For example, for unbleached soy lecithin, the soy plants must not be from genetically modified stock.” When nonagricultural products are used as ingredients or processing aids, the product must be “free from modified DNA and/or the proteins from genetically modified DNA,” she says. “And, if microorganisms are used to produce the product, the microorganisms must not be genetically modified.” For example, in maltodextrin production, the microorganisms used to produce them must not be genetically modified.

Market Snapshot

Organic Ascendant

The organic industry has exploded in the past few years, growing 21% to reach $17.7 billion in 2006, according to a 2007 survey conducted by Packaged Facts, Rockville, MD, with an anticipated 18% growth per year for 2007 through 2010.

Putting the “O” in Hydrocolloids

Following is a list of “synthetic texturants” approved by the National Organic Program (NOP) for use in organic products.

Texturizers suitable for use as nonagricultural (nonorganic) substances:

• Pectin—low-methoxyl-type pectin is an allowable synthetic substance;

• Xanthan gum—an allowable synthetic substance;

• Carageenan—allowable as a nonsynthetic substance.

Texturizers suitable for use as nonorganically produced agricultural products:

• Food starches—only native, or unmodified, starches, derived from non-GMO sources, are suitable for use in “organic” (5% max usage level) and “made with organic” foods;

• Pectin—high-methoxyl-type;

• Locust bean gum—commercially available in an organic form, which would preclude the use of organic-compliant forms in organic foods.

Source: Cargill Texturizing Solutions, Wayzata, MN