Natural Sources of Food Colorants as Potential Substitutes for Artificial Additives

Abstract

In recent years, the demand of healthier food products and products made with natural ingredients has increased overwhelmingly, led by the awareness of human beings of the influence of food on their health, as well as by the evidence of side effects generated by different ingredients such as some additives. This is the case for several artificial colorants, especially azo colorants, which have been related to the development of allergic reactions, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder. All the above has focused the attention of researchers on obtaining colorants from natural sources that do not present a risk for consumption and, on the contrary, show biological activity. The most representative compounds that present colorant capacity found in nature are anthocyanins, anthraquinones, betalains, carotenoids and chlorophylls. Therefore, the present review summarizes research published in the last 15 years (2008–2023) in different databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and ScienceDirect) encompassing various natural sources of these colorant compounds, referring to their obtention, identification, some of the efforts made for improvements in their stability and their incorporation in different food matrices. In this way, this review evidences the promising path of development of natural colorants for the replacement of their artificial counterparts.

Dietary Phenolic Compounds—Wellbeing and Perspective Applications

“…Flavonoids appear in nature from the orange-red to purpleblue spectra [91]. Additionally, natural sources like turmeric (orange), beetroot (red), and spirulina (green) manifest not only their health-promoting properties but also their distinguishable vivid colors [92].…”

Exploring natural colourants for enhanced sausage appeal: A review of sourcing, extraction methods, and applications, with emphasis on beetroot as an example

“…Sustainability and Environmental Concerns: Plant extracts and mineral pigments are two examples of sustainable and renewable resources frequently used in creating natural colourants. Compared to synthetic colourants derived from petroleum, this sustainable method leaves a smaller environmental impact, which aligns with customer demands for environmentally friendly goods [47], [49].…”

Extraction of Natural Food Color from Tomato, Carrot and Turmeric

“…One of the most important organoleptic properties of food products is color since it provides information to the consumer about the acceptability, composition, flavor, and freshness of the food [1]. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a food colorant is "any dye, pigment, or substance which when added or applied to a food, drug or cosmetic, or the human body, is capable (alone or through reactions with other substances) of imparting color" [2].…”