“Healthy Hedonism” is a new consumer mindset that combines innovation and playfulness with an interest in health and wellness, tempered by a keen commitment to social and environmental concerns. In this contemporary landscape, consumers are seeking foods and beverages that deliver a holistic package of benefits.

Looking ahead to 2030, the food and beverage color palette will almost exclusively contain vibrant, naturally derived hues that offer clean-label appeal, as consumers continue to seek better-for-you products.

From saturated hues to pastels, proper execution of color in a food product serves as an indicator for sensory attributes such as flavor, aroma, and texture. A lemonade-flavored beverage with the perfect pale pink hue can transport us back to our childhood lawn in summertime. The whimsical periwinkle shade of a specialty cocktail made with butterfly pea flower extract creates a unique and unexpected happy hour experience.

Today’s natural colors are vibrant enough to communicate product attributes, such as perceived healthfulness and functional efficacy. The verdant green hue of a matcha-flavored beverage is perceived as fresher, and thus more effective at delivering a healthy kick.

Anticipating improvement in the natural colors space, additives, preservatives, and innovative production methods that help maintain sensory appeal over shelf life will continue to advance. This should allow brands to deliver food and beverage options that meet and even exceed today’s high bar when it comes to freshness and quality.

Natural Blooms

According to Food Market Insights’ “Food Additives Market Outlook,” released last February, the global food additives market is set to expand to $4.62 billion by 2033, with an estimated CAGR of approximately 6.6% over the next 10 years. The global natural colors market is on a similar trajectory, projected to grow by an estimated CAGR of 7.4% from 2022 to 2030, reaching nearly $3 billion by 2030.

Challenges in formulating with natural colors still pose hurdles for developers. In choosing a natural colorant for a food or beverage, considerations include the physical and chemical make-up and characteristics of the colorant itself, as well as any potential interactions with the overall formulation they will be used in. All affect the color's ability to hold up under heat, shear, pressure, and other processing conditions, and to maintain consistency of the color throughout the shelf life. All are important to ensure both consumer appeal as well as final cost-in-use.

Making Natural Work

Tried-and-true artificial colors have always provided the benefit of being reliable and predictable in a variety of food matrices. On the other hand, natural colors have historically posed functional drawbacks such as instability under certain environmental conditions, leading to undesirable effects such as fading and bleeding.

Cost and availability are significant factors when formulating with natural colors. With the need for natural colors to provide as close to the same final results as artificial colorants, some of the more advanced colorant systems could present price and availability challenges due to supply and demand. It is important to work with a reputable color supplier that can ensure consistent quality and supply and thus the need for reformulation.

To overcome the challenges natural colors face in foods, color manufacturers enhance pigment preparations by understanding the unique functionality of the pigment. Natural pigments are often susceptible to more than one formulation or processing-related factor.

For example, anthocyanins and betalains are prone to fading and bleaching in high pH, high light exposure, and high temperature conditions. Similarly, the phycocyanin pigment, which gives a highly sought-after bold blue shade, is sensitive to high temperatures and acidic conditions.

Negative ingredient interactions can also be a challenge. In certain applications, some colors require the help of emulsification or stabilization systems to enhance solubility. Beta-carotene used in a beverage application is one common example. Negative interactions of the emulsifier with other emulsification systems or ingredients in the formula can cause the color emulsion to break, leading to pigment separation or precipitation.

To address many of these challenges in natural colors, the use of preservatives, such as antioxidants and acidulants is becoming more common. These are used to enhance stability and functionality, and therefore, cost-effectiveness.

Beverages that Glow

When it comes to beverages, alcohol content (%ABV) is another a factor that can negatively impact natural color performance. Beverages with an ABV of 20% or higher are typically harsher on natural colors, which can lead to fading.

Color deterioration can also be caused by oxidation. Common natural color compounds susceptible to oxidative degradation include those lending shades of red, orange, yellow. These include carmine, carotenoids, and paprika extract. The addition of antioxidants, such as ascorbic acid, or its stereoisomer, erythorbic acid, can help prevent discoloration and fading.

Formulators should avoid using ascorbic acid in foods and beverages that are colored with anthocyanins, as it causes degradation of anthocyanin molecules. This kind of negative interaction is especially important for beverage formulators to keep in mind, as vitamin C fortification is a common method of adding health value to drinks.

Color manufacturers and suppliers may add antioxidants directly to the color preparation to ensure its stability when added to a formulation. In other cases, the formulator of the end product should work closely with the color supplier, as fortification of the end product with an antioxidant could prove more effective for certain matrices.

Meanwhile, acidulants can be used to leverage the pH-dependent nature of natural color molecules such as anthocyanins, betalains, and phycocyanin. Citric acid is a common additive found in color preparations to create the ideal pH environment for the color compound.

Anthocyanins derived from butterfly pea flower (Clitoria ternateea) extract have gained popularity in recent years. Known for its pH-indicating property, the anthocyanin-rich flower, native to Southeast Asia, displays a stunning variety of shades. In its natural pH range of 6.0-8.0, the flower extract is a unique blue-purple hue. Under acidic conditions, the butterfly pea flower extract shifts to emit delicate blue-pink and light purple shades, whereas it turns to a green shade at pH values ranging from 8.0-9.0. At pH values of 4.0-5.0, the extract is colorless.

Similarly, phycocyanin, the bright-blue-emitting protein found in spirulina, is sensitive to pH changes. Researchers at Cornell University have recently uncovered the mechanism of action for the fading of this pigment. In acidic environments, the molecular structure of the protein undergoes a disassembly reaction, removing the pigment’s blue-emitting property. In alkaline conditions, the pigment re-assembles, displaying the impressive cerulean shade that is highly desired today for its novelty and shock value.

Luckily for developers seeking acid-stable natural blues, there is a new phycocyanin pigment on the scene. It is derived from Galdieria sulphuraria, an extremophilic microalgae whose native environment causes its blue-pigment to be much more acid-stable than the phycocyanin found in spirulina.

Enveloping Colors

Micro- and nano-encapsulation are post-extraction natural color processing methods that can address the array of challenges natural colors face in formulations, protecting pigments from pH, light, high temperatures, and even oxidative threats. Encapsulated natural colors also offer the value-add of being more versatile under a variety of processing conditions.

For example, confectionary processes typically require high temperatures and longer hold times. In frozen or ready-to-heat meals, encapsulated colors may also be desirable, as they can better withstand the cooking or microwave heating steps required. In multi-layered products, such as cookies, cakes, energy bars, and panned confections, the use of encapsulated natural colors can prevent color bleeding.

Other natural color preparation methods that can enhance functionality, and help keep costs relatively low, include improved drying techniques. Notably, vacuum belt drying is an effective method for yielding highly saturated and soluble dry pigment preparations. The low vacuum pressure facilitates very low water evaporation temperatures, which helps preserve the benefits of the botanical extract.

Novel production and preservation methods in the natural colors space will continue to expand the bounds of what food and beverage formulators can deliver to the ever curious, ever health-conscious consumer. The future of natural colorants will certainly continue to look bright. PF