Food Color Concentrates

Food Color vs. Cosmetics & Pharmaceutical Color

Each batch of artificial color that is produced as food color or for drug or cosmetic use in the United States must be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for “certification” to insure that it meets the governments predefined standards. Hence the term “Certified Color”.

Certified FD&C Colors can generally be used in Foods, Drugs, and Cosmetics.

D&C Colors can be used in Drugs and Cosmetic, but not in foods.

Colors for use in Food and Confectionary Applications

Most food and confectionery products available today are made using artificial food color. There are only seven Certified Dyes that can be used in the United States in food products:

Dyes and Aluminum Lakes in Powder Form

The base for all artificial food colors are DYES and ALUMINUM LAKES. These are produced in a light, dusty powdery format.

The differences between Dyes and Lakes are as follows:

*  A DYE is a distinct chemical that exhibits coloring power when it is dissolved. Dyes are water soluble, and will not mix with oils. Dyes can be purchased in a Powder format or a less dusty version called "Granular".

*  An ALUMINUM LAKE PIGMENT is an insoluble material that tints by dispersion. Lakes are produced from the FD&C Dyes and are oil dispersible (but generally not oil soluble) and thus can be mixed with oils and fats. They can also be dispersed in other carriers such as propylene glycol, glycerin and sucrose (water and sugar).

*  Lakes are produced in specific concentrations of dye. Thus, Red 40 Aluminum Lake is available in Low Dye (generally 15-17% pure dye) and High Dye (36-42% pure dye).

Lakes are used in a variety of applications:

1) To color a fat based product, such as chocolate or compound coatings. For these, we produce a concentrated dispersion in a high quality and very stable vegetable oil. The dispersion is added directly to the chocolate to dye it accordingly.

2) For “hard panning” (to dye the outside of a product such as a gum ball, an M&M™ type product, or a pill). In this case, we produce a dispersion usually using sucrose (sugar and water) that is applied to the candy or food as it is being tumbled and dried. Multiple layers are applied to produce the desired shade.

3) Lakes tend to resist bleeding. Dyes have a tendency to “bleed”, or migrate from one part of the product to another. This can be a problem in candy canes or any product where there are defined borders such as stripes. While Dyes are normally used in hard candy, Lakes are sometimes substituted if bleeding is a problem.

"NATURAL COLORS"

So why aren’t Natural colors used more?

Compared to artificial colors, they are generally more expensive, the hues are less vibrant, the palate of available shades is limited, and they are not as concentrated. Stability can be effected by other ingredients and variations in pH. They generally have a short shelf life before fading occurs as compared to their artificial counterparts.

SPECIAL EFFECT COLORANTS FOR USE IN FOOD

Approved in 2007 by the FDA for use in food products, these titanium dioxide and mica based powders and concentrates create effects in food products from a subtle glow to a shiny sparkle .  

These unique and exciting colorants provide unique opportunities for food companies to create exciting new looks.

COSMETIC AND PHARMACEUTICAL APPLICATION

The dispersing mediums available for use in Cosmetics are much more varied than those available for edible products. Ingredients such as castor oil, mineral oil, and silicone can be used in cosmetics, but not foods.

Pharmaceutical applications have a different range of Certified Dyes available.

Coloring for food, cosmetics, and drugs can be purchased in the following formats in the United States:

•  Powder Color

•  Granular Color (reduced dusting version of Powder dye)

•  Liquids (generally water soluble)

•  Dispersions (generally not water soluble)

•  Pastes

•  Color Bits™ and Color Flakes™

•  Portion Control

By blending Dyes and Pigments together in a variety of ratios and formats, we produce a wide range of products that International Foodcraft markets as the COLOREZE™ Family of Color Concentrates.

Powder and Powder Blends

Color in its Powder format is the least expensive way to purchase it. A little goes a very long way.

So why does anyone use anything but powder?

There are two basic reasons:

1) Many products (such as hard candy and taffy) require that the powdered color be pre-dispersed in an appropriate carrying medium before introduction into the candy. Trying to add powder dye to a batch of hot candy will result in specs of powder in the finished product.

2) Because powder is very messy to deal with! It is very dusty and gets everywhere. (You can tell what colors we made each day by the color of our factory worker's skin at the end of the shift). Also, it is very easy to make a mistake with powder because it is so concentrated.

Liquid Colors

Pigment Dispersions