Technological Applications of Natural Colorants in Food Systems: A Review

Abstract

Natural colorants have emerged as an alternative to their synthetic counterparts due to an existing health concern of these later. Moreover, natural-food colorants are a renewable option providing health benefits and interesting technological and sensory attributes to the food systems containing them. Several sources of natural colorants have been explored aiming to deliver the required wide color range demanded by consumers. This review aimed to compare and discuss the technological applications of the main natural-food colorants into food system in the last six years, giving additional information about their extraction process. Although natural colorants are promising choices to replace synthetic ones, optimization of processing conditions, research on new sources, and new formulations to ensure stability are required to equate their properties to their synthetic counterparts.

Biological Approaches for Extraction of Bioactive Compounds From Agro-industrial By-products: A Review

“…Other components, such as betalain anthocyanins, curcumins, tannins, and carotenoids, commonly applied in foods as natural colorings (Luzardo-Ocampo et al, 2021), have also been used for the development of active and smart biodegradable food packaging (Figure 4) (Alizadeh-Sani et al, 2020). Anthocyanins extracted from the residue of processing blueberry juice, for example, have already been used in the production of smart films using cassava starch capable of monitoring the quality of orange juice, corn oil, and chicken pieces.…”

Natural colorants from vegetable food waste: Recovery, regulatory aspects, and stability—A review

“…Pulsed electric field (PEF), using high voltage electrical pulses for short periods, leads to the formation of pores in the plant cell walls allowing more effective extraction (Luzardo‐Ocampo et al., 2021). To recover polar pigments (e.g., betalain and anthocyanins), mainly polar solvents with high electrical conductivity are used.…”

Heat and Light Stability of Pumpkin-Based Carotenoids in a Photosensitive Food: A Carotenoid-Coloured Beverage

“…Recent consumer concerns about the safety of artificial colourants have led to an increased use of natural colourants in food products, such as carotenoid-rich colouring concentrates from pumpkins [1,2]. Carotenoids are natural pigments responsible for the yellow, orange, and red colour of many fruits, vegetables, algae, and bacteria.…”

“…In contrast, studies describing the chemical stability of carotenoid-rich colouring concentrates in food applications are rather limited, although this information would be industrially relevant for predicting carotenoid losses and colour changes in coloured food products throughout their shelf-life. For instance, since processing of yellow-or orange-coloured beverages results in substantial colour loss, additional carotenoids are often added for colour preservation [2]. These products are then packaged in clear bottles and exposed to natural and artificial lights during retail display, often deteriorating the photosensitive carotenoids [13].…”