The work was supported by Mars Inc. Natural food colorings are in demand, but blue colors essential for making blue, green and other colors are rare in nature. Researchers identified small amounts of a blue coloring in red cabbage, and UC Davis chemists developed an enzyme to make the new coloring in usable quantities. Getty Images. Quick Summary Natural food colorings are in demand, but blue colors are rare in nature Researchers identified a natural blue anthocyanin in red cabbage UC Davis chemists developed an enzyme to make the blue color in usable quantities.
Enzymes to convert colors Denish, postdoctoral researcher Kathryn Guggenheim, graduate student Mary Riley, and Siegel figured out a way to convert other anthocyanins in cabbage into the blue color compound. Given an abstract choice between "natural" and "artificial" food products, going natural is the obvious choice, right?
Maybe, but it turns out there are valid reasons why artificial food colorings haven't been phased out completely. In addition to the ability to create a rainbow of colors free from nature's constraints, artificial food colorings can tend to be a bit more shelf-stable or longer-lasting than colors made from natural compounds. From a business point of view, they're also cheaper to manufacture.
Yes, but that's why the FDA goes through a relatively rigorous process to make sure everything's looking good before these chemical compounds can color food fit for human consumption.
Artificial color additives undergo a process of "batch certification" to make sure everything meets the FDA's specifications. On the other hand, "pigments from natural sources" that are approved by the FDA for use in food are exempt from this batch certification process.
All of these are essentially a combination of carbon, hydrogen, sodium, oxygen, and sulfur molecules, though Red No. Additionally, there are two color additives with more specific use cases: Citrus Red Number 2 for "skins of oranges not intended or used for processing," and Orange B, for the "casings or surfaces of frankfurters and sausages.
Because all of these artificial food colors are the product of better living through chemistry, each has its own particular combination of elements from the periodic table. For example, Blue No. Subsequently, these different molecular formulas translate to different shades of the same color" i. Blue No. Artificial dyes aren't without their controversy, and some regard them with skepticism.
That can feel especially valid given that, as the American Chemical Society points out, today's artificial food colorings are derived from petroleum. Of course, part of the FDA certification process centers on ensuring there aren't any traces of the original petroleum left by the time a dye is finished.
Over the years, there have also been some studies which observed a supposed correlation between artificial food dyes and the incidence of ADHD in children, and others positing a link between these dyes and obesity, and others linking them to carcinogens.
For whatever it's worth to you, the FDA's list of seven approved artificial food colorings are " safe when they are used in accordance with FDA regulations " as things currently stand. Any color additives that haven't met with their approval can't legally be used in foods sold to consumers. So if you'd rather opt for more natural food colorings these days, there are certainly plenty of brands willing to cater to your desires.
Since beta-carotene is soluble in fat, it is a great choice for coloring dairy products, which typically have a high fat content. So beta-carotene is often added to margarine and cheese. And, yes, if you eat too many foods that contain beta-carotene, your skin may turn orange. Fortunately, this condition is harmless. Figure 1.
Beta-carotene is composed of two small six-carbon rings connected by a chain of carbon atoms. Chlorophyll is another natural pigment, found in all green plants.
This molecule absorbs sunlight and uses its energy to synthesize carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water. This process is known as photosynthesis and is the basis of life on Earth. Mint- or lime-flavored foods, such as candy and ice cream, are sometimes colored using chlorophyll. The best natural source for deep purple and blue colors is anthocyanin. Grapes, blueberries, and cranberries owe their rich color to this organic compound.
Unlike beta-carotene, anthocyanins—which form a class of similar compounds rather than a single chemical compound—are soluble in water, so they can be used to color water-based products. Blue corn chips, brightly colored soft drinks, and jelly are often dyed with anthocyanins. More than different anthocyanins have been isolated from plants. They are all based on a single basic core structure, the flavylium ion Fig.
This ion contains three six-carbon rings, as well as many hydroxyl —OH groups that make the molecule polar it has partially negative and partially positive charges and water-soluble. Figure 2. Chemical structure of an anthocyanin. R 1 and R 2 are functional groups, and R 3 is a sugar molecule. Another natural food additive you have probably consumed is turmeric, which is added to mustard to impart a deep yellow color. Turmeric is obtained from the underground stem of a plant that grows in India, and it is commonly used as a spice in Indian food.
Many U. If you add a basic substance to mustard, it will turn red. The next time you enjoy strawberry-flavored yogurt or cranberry juice, you may be eating bugs! These insects did not contaminate your food by accident. An extract from a type of insect, known as the cochineal, was deliberately added by the food manufacturer.
For centuries, the Aztecs used these insects to dye fabrics a deep-red color. If you crush up 70, of these bugs, you can extract a pound of a deep-red dye, called carminic acid C 22 H 20 O 13 Fig. This dye is safe to ingest, so it found its way into a variety of food and cosmetic products that required a red color.
However, the thought of eating bugs is unappealing to some people. Starbucks formerly used cochineal dye in its strawberry-flavored products, but it has since removed this additive in response to customer complaints. To find out if your food contains bugs, look for carmine, carminic acid, cochineal, or Natural Red 4 on the ingredient label.
While these substances are typically considered safe, in rare instances people can have a severe allergic reaction to them, leading to a life-threatening condition called anaphylactic shock. Why bother with artificial, or synthetic, food colorings? A big reason to go artificial is cost. Synthetic dyes can be mass-produced at a fraction of the cost of gathering and processing the materials used to make natural colorings.
Another reason is shelf life. Artificial dyes might be longer-lasting than natural ones of the same color. Also, although nature produces an impressive hue of colors, those suitable for use as a food dye are limited. But there is no limit to the variety of colors that can be artificially produced in a lab. Considering the thousands of different substances that color our food, it may come as a surprise to discover that the U. Food and Drug Administration granted approval to just seven synthetic food colorings for widespread use in food.
These food colorings are summarized in Table 1. Table 1. Food colorings approved by the U. Food and Drug Administration. Artificial food colorings were originally manufactured from coal tar, which comes from coal. Early critics of artificial food colorings were quick to point this out. Today, most synthetic food dyes are derived from petroleum, or crude oil.
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