Selecting the right color is the first step

Article source: “Beverage Industry” magazine, Product Development Section, August 2003, pp. 41-45. Permission from editor.

Colors represent emotions and evoke actions. Nowhere is this more true than in the world of beverages, where color is almost like a brand’s pick-up line – choose the wrong approach and a drink will remain alone on the shelf. Surprisingly, most companies start talking about the ingredient composition of their drink and its compatibility with color in the final stages of development.

“In most cases color is the last thing that a product developer thinks about, yet it’s probably the most important thing when it reaches the store shelf.” Says Timothy Truby, vice president of the sweet business unit & colors at Wild Flavors Inc., Erlanger, KY. The lack of color consideration on the front end can cause challenges when customers realize the color they wanted cannot be achieved, Truby adds.

There are certain criteria that a company needs to consider as it formulates its beverage and decides which color will meet its expectations. For example, Jeff Greaves, president of Food Ingredient Solutions LLC, New York City, recommends that knowing what shade of which color a company wants is the first step. Next, it’s important to identify the pH of the finished product and if there are restrictions due to kosher or organic certification of the product. Finally, heat stability requirements, pasteurization methods, shelf life and package type all dictate color results.

Choosing natural colors, synthetic or a combination of both, is also a question that a company needs to consider early in the process of beverage development. Color companies often find that the way a product is marketed largely determines which option, natural or synthetic meshes with the product’s image.

Where do colors come from?

“At the turn of the last century, there were so many food color additives that weren’t safe and were impure that the FDA created regulations that insisted on purity,” says Stephan J. Lauro, technical services manager at ColorMaker, an Anaheim, Calf.-based company specializing in functional beverage and natural color applications. “Regulations require that every batch of color is tested and certified pure.”

Six artificial colors are available for use in beverages today. Unlike natural colors, artificial colors such as Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1 and Red 40 must appear on the label of the product if used in the product for coloring. However, natural colors can be added without mentioning the specific colorants used as long as the label reflects that natural color has been added.

Natural colors are defined as those that are obtained from vegetable, animal, or plant sources capable of coloring beverages. Classified by the FDA as ‘exempt from certification,’ these colors come from such things as seeds, roots, algae, insects and fruits. Five types of natural colorants derived from fruits and vegetables are available for food and beverage applications. Anthocyanins, betalains, carotenoids and chlorophylls are commonly used for beverages in either powdered or liquid form, according to Food Ingredient Solutions’ Greaves. Additionally, anthraquinones, or carmine/cochineal extract derived from dried cochineal bugs, was determined to be a possible natural color replacement for synthetic Red 3 in the 1980’s.

Anthocynins are part of the family of naturally occurring plant compounds, referred to as flavonoids, that impart the orange, red, magenta, violet, purple and blue color in fruits and vegetables. According to Wild Flavors, approximately 300 anthocyanins exist in nature. In the case of bilberry, which offers improved night vision, and elderberry, considered an antioxidant, a blood glucose reducer and metabolism enhancer, there are a variety of additional benefits associated with using anthocyanins as beverages colorants, according to Greaves.

Although green chlorophyll is not approved for use in liquid form for beverages in the United States, the pigment is used in other countries. Chlorophyll is approved for use in citrus-based dry mix beverages in this country, and Wild has a green plant powder derived from spinach, which offers color benefits.

“We are working on petitioning the FDA to approve chlorophyll for beverage uses [in the United States],” says Harry Meggos, vice president, technical service at Sensient Food Colors N.A. However, the company does not expect to see the approval for a green that can be used in liquid beverages in the near future.

Finally, carotenoids such as annatto and paprika are available for beverage coloring. In addition to offering a variety of yellow shades, carotenoids offer antioxidant benefits, reduction of muscle aches, and prevention of macular degeneration. Lutein and lycopene, also examples of carotenoids, are not approved as colorants in the United States.

Synthetic colors are used in many mainstream beverages because of their cost-effectiveness and stability, but natural colors are quickly becoming the trend on the beverage scene. Companies such as GNT USA Inc., Tarrytown, N.Y., contract with farmers who produce fruits and vegetables that are used to create color concentrates, labeled as ‘fruit and vegetable juices used for color’ according to FDA standards. To ensure that consistency of the colors and compatibility with other ingredients, heat and light stability tests determine whether GNT’s water-soluble colors are effective.

In some cases, additives can be used to help maintain color vibrancy and color-fastness when natural color is used, according to the company.

“Adding strong acids or bases such as acetic acid, potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide can sometimes keep a natural color strong, fresh and 100 percent soluble,” ColorMaker’s Lauro says. “We’re doing more and more R&D work, however, because of the additives companies are using, such as vitamins, minerals or even soy proteins.”

Color compatibility with ingredients

The pH level of the finished product, heat pasteurization and light have affected beverage colors for years, according to Lauro. Companies today are further challenged by the interactions colors have with nutritional ingredients added to beverages.

“Vitamins and minerals cause some compatibility issues and changes in pH, which affects the color, especially natural colors,” says Owen Parker, vice president, D.D. Williamson, Food Technology Laboratory Inc., Louisville, KY. Parker says the molecular structure of a color such as caramel, a long-chain polymer used in a broad range of beverages, absorbs light and we see or perceive a brown color.

Ingredients such as ascorbic acid can have detrimental effects on color, says Penny Martin, manager of technical services at Sensient. Additionally, Tracy Mattingly, manager of color technology at Wild Flavors, recommends natural colors over synthetic colors for beverages such as those that contain dairy or vitamin C.

For example, light-induced fading of FD&C Red 40 is common in beverages containing vitamin C, she says. Microorganisms in dairy beverages can destroy the bonds that hold Red 40 together. In both cases, carmine or red vegetable colorants are better choices.

“Sometimes we get into stability issues where we have to choose [natural over synthetic color],” Mattingly says. “Typically, we go to artificial colors when packaging, ingredients, and/or processing temperatures dictate. Color choice often depends on stability.”

Although there might be variables that will help a beverage company narrow its choice of color options, there is no hard and fast rule for color use.

“A lot of times you have to use trial and error depending on the composition of the beverage to determine which natural and synthetic color combination may be used,” says Sensient’s Meggos. “First you need to run stability studies before you run with [the color combination choice].”

Furthermore, stability tests that are run in Sensient’s lab are done in addition to tests performed during a manufacturer’s production process in order to properly test for product stability, according to Martin. Incorporating time for reformulation and testing into the development cycle is a company’s best defense against color tribulations.

“What’s interesting about color is the overall appearance of beverages that at first look very good but if [companies] are using soy proteins or apple juice, they’ll get a browning effect over time,” Martin Says. “That’s probably the biggest challenge for functional beverages, especially a protein-based one.”

Cost affects color source

In cases where natural color is unable to stand up to the composition of a beverage, synthetic color is used. Synthetic color can also offer a stable, cost efficient and consistent color, according to Mike Chin, vice president of technology, Roha U.S.A. LLC, St. Louis, Mo., a producer of synthetic colors for food, beverage and packaging applications.

Although Wild’s Truby agrees that crop fluctuations and poor harvest seasons can have an effect on the price of natural colors, he believes the cost variance between the two has decreased in recent years. Furthermore, in certain applications natural color is comparable to synthetic as far as price is concerned.

“There becomes a point when the cost of the color at a certain low level is the key to reaching the mainstream, and I think that’s the direction the [natural color] industry is going,” adds Stefan Hake, general manager, GNT, producer of Exberry natural food colors.

In addition to the price and stability advantages of synthetic color, the decision to use synthetic over natural coloring is often based on beverage production and marketing. The quantity of synthetic color is controlled by an industry-recognized good manufacturing practices credo, whereas natural color quantities are not as restricted. The quantity of color can mean brighter, more vibrant color options depending on what the marketer wants.

In some cases, the decision to use synthetic color over natural color can be a question of availability of natural color in the requested hue.

“You have to be aware of the color limitations with existing color ingredients,” Sensient’s Meggos says. “For instance, if a company wants a blue-colored beverage, there isn’t a natural blue color available.”

Companies such as D.D. Williamson, Sensient and Wild are introducing colors such as D.D. Williamson’s caramelized apple juice concentrate, Sensient’s Yellow 10 and Quinilin Yellow, and Wild’s hazelnut family extract, and a full-line of organic-compliant colors, but limitations on natural color still exist.

Packaging: less fading, cleaner labels

In addition to additives such as vitamins and minerals, which can affect the color of a beverage, packaging can also add to the challenge of creating a beverage that won’t lose its color over time – and will allow an all-natural ingredient label.

“In high-light areas under ultraviolet lights, you have a tendency for natural colors to fade due to the degradation of the molecules,” Williamson’s Parker says. He recommends using packaging with UV protection to decrease degradation. It is also important to consider the oxygen permeability of the material because colors can degrade through package oxidation.

Sensient’s Martin says that packaging, such as PET containers that can cause rings or cream in a water-soluble emulsion, can have some effect on color. Additionally, Wild’s Mattingly cautions companies against using plastic containers if vitamin C or iron is present to avoid browning of juice-derived natural colors on the shelf.

In addition to being a way to protect color from fading on the shelf, packaging dimensions and shape will also dictate what the color looks like inside.

“From a technical perspective, it’s important to know [not only what ingredients are added but also] what packaging is being used,” GNT’s Hake says. “For example, if you have a 2-liter bottle, the color will look completely different than the product in a 16-ounce bottle. The danger is that someone tries something in a beaker in the lab and in the bottle it looks different.”

From the actual bottle size and dimensions to the label, color plays a role in what consumers will buy and their perception of what’s healthy. With increased awareness of what people are putting into their bodies, they are looking for fewer preservatives and synthetic additives on product labels. And color companies are using labels as an opportunity to identify the health benefits of natural color. In cases such as aronia and elderberry, color provides multifunctional ingredient labeling opportunities, according to Wild’s Truby. These colors can be promoted in the dietary supplement / functional food market on the basis of their high polyphenol levels and favorable ORAC values.