This Week in the Plant-Based Food Color Scene: New All-Terrain Vivid Orange and Fruity Blends for Meat Alternatives
This week sees plant-based food color NPDs from EXBERRY and Oterra. F&B manufacturers will leverage a new vivid orange for the confectionary and snacks and new fruity blends for meat analogs that change hues when cooked. As the sustainability trend demands a shift to plant-based foods and cosmetics, color additives derived from plants and minerals are in the spotlight as alternatives to colors synthesized from petroleum raw materials or insect-derived carmine (a cochineal extract). Color additives enhance food’s appeal, making it attractive, appetizing, and informative: “If that looks good, it must taste good.” According to Oterra, color influences 50-85% of purchase decisions. Besides plant-based colors, biotechnology is also developing color alternatives with companies such as Danish Chromologics, which uses fungal fermentation to make pigments that …