Natural red colour for fruit and dairy products

With colour playing such a critical role in enhancing a consumer’s sensory experience, we want a cost-effective and stable natural red colouring that can be used in fruit and dairy products.

red-fruit-125x114The challenge

The red colourings used extensively tend to contain variants of carmines. But carmines aren’t very stable. They can change colour during heating, if they are stored for long periods and when exposed to light and certain gases, such as oxygen. This is a particular issue when, for example, a product lid is opened.

What we are looking for

We need to find a water-soluble red colour that we can use in fruit and dairy products. It must be natural (not artificial), remain stable over a ten-month shelf life and be cost-effective.

Possible solutions areas:

  • alternative natural sources/mixes of final in-product red colouring

  • additive or other stabilizers for carmine

Constraints & requirements:

  • comply with necessary safety and regulatory requirements for food products

  • no negative effects on product stability and on sensorial product characteristics

  • we want to see the red colour effect in final products with a pH in the range of 4 and/or in the range of 7.

  • be resistant to UHT.

  • be GMO free and irradiation free.

If you have a design, ingredient or technical solution that could help us meet this challenge, we’d like to hear from you(Link opens in a new window).