Coloring the World Caramel

FOOD REVIEW
South African Association for Food Science and Technology
August 2002

Caramel coloring is so prevalent in food manufacturing that it makes up 90% by weight, of all colors added to food and drink. This was highlighted at a local seminar recently in Johannesburg hosted by US colorant giant, D.D. Williamson. Hilary Ward reports.

The widespread use and acceptability of caramel color in food can be explained by the fact that it successfully mimics a wide spectrum of the “natural” colors found in many foods, especially those based on carbohydrates and proteins. It produces natural-looking reds used, for example, in fruit drinks, as well as every shade and hue of brwon, from palest latté and champagne yellow to dark chocolate.

Caramel color was first used in brewed beverages such as stout, beer and ales, and this is still one of its many applications, as well as spirits and fortified wines, such as whisky, brandy and sherry.

Caramel color is also used in baked goods and confectionery; dairy products like chocolate milk and ice cream; sauces, soups and gravies; non-alcoholic beverages including coffee and tea; cooked meat and poultry; snacks and cereals; and non-food applications.

The use of caramel color varies from continent to continent. In Asia it is used mostly for soy and other sauces, in the US for soft drinks and in Europe for soft drinks and sauces, stocks and soups.

It is also widely used as a cocoa extender depending on ups and downs in cocoa crops and prices, and can replace 50% of the cocoa powder in a given formula used for color as it is up to six times darker. Caramel color can also replace three synthetic colors; red, yellow and blue used to create brown.

Caramel color may be liquid or solid (powder) and varies in color from brown to black. It smells like burnt sugar and has a somewhat bitter taste. It is highly soluble in water, which makes it a flexible source of color in food applications.

Two types of caramelisation take place in food products; enzymatic browning such as when cut fruit darkens at the exposed surface, and non-enzymatic browning which occurs when certain foods, mainly carbohydrates, are heated. The latter is the source of caramel color, which intensifies in color and develops a more bitter flavour the longer it is heated.

Caramel color is manufactured by the controlled heat treatment of carbohydrates such as glucose syrups, sucrose, invert syrups and dextrose. Food-grade chemical catalysts such as acids, alkalis and salts may be used to promote caramelisation.

There are four classes of caramel color and each type has specific functional properties that makes it suitable for use in different products, while using the incorrect class can produce unwanted effects such as haze, flocculation and separation. It is vital that the correct class of caramel color is used for the application to ensure that it is stable especially in the presence of alcohol and salt, such as in soy sauce and brandy. Colloidal charge is an important factor in determining product applications.

Caramel has a shelf-life of up to two years depending on the class, and is an almost sterile product when sealed in a container as it is produced at high temperature and is acidic. However, as climate changes can cause microbial growth once the product has been opened, it must be stored in optimum conditions.

Viscosity is an indicator of product quality and age — the product becoming more viscous and darker as it ages, because of caramelisation continues at a slow rate at ambient temperatures, eventually forming an unusable gel.

Burnt Sugars (Class 1) Applications: Used mainly for high-proof alcoholic beverages such as brandy. Has a slightly negative colloidal charge, contains no sulphite or ammonium compounds and is not stable in acid.		French Caramel (Class 2) Application: Used mainly for high-proof alcoholic beverages with tannins, such as brandy and sherry, and in vegetable extract. Contains sulphites but no ammonia, has a negative colloidal charge and is not stable in acid.
Beer (Class 3) Application: The second largest category, it is used in beer, baking, sauces and gravies. Has a positive colloidal chartge, contains ammonium compounds but no sulphites and is stable in acid.		Soft Drink (Class 4) Application: The largest category of caramel color, it is used in soft drinks, blended whiskey and general food applications. Contains sulphites and ammonium compounds, has a negative colloidal charge and is stable in acid.

Use levels depend on the shade desired and the class used, but caramel color is generally added in minute quantities. In addition to adding color, it protects food s and other ingredients from light deterioration, emulsifies flavour agents in soft drinks, standardizes batch-to-batch variations in color, and has a few flavour applications. It contains flavour compounds similar to those found in chocolate and cooked meats and some Class 1 caramels contain flavour compounds found in roasted coffee beans and can therefore be used to impart more coffee flavour to instant coffee drinks.

Complex and detailed measures of color intensity and hue index are used to describe the effect of various caramel colors in the various product applications.

Caramel color is listed as exempt from certification under US labeling regulations. These do not recognize any color additives as “natural” and therefore list colors as either exempt or certified. It is usually listed as such on ingredients labels, but may be listed by its E number.

Caramel color manufactured in Southern Africa is from sources that have not been genetically modified, and is both Halaal and Kosher — though these assurances may depend on the manufacturer and should be established.