Caramel color production

R. T. Tinner, "Caramel Coloring— Production, Composition, and Functionahty," Faker s Digest, Apr. 1965. 

Amber or gold mms can be matured in wood barrels three years, though the color in gold mms should not necessarily imply that it was derived from aging. Often the color is achieved by adding caramel color to the product. They are more flavorful than light mm. 

Caramel color is a dark brown or even black product used for centuries in home cooking to provide color and specific aromas to foods. The first commercial caramel was produced in Europe about 1850. ... 

Caramel color interacts with other food components. As an example, a concentration higher than 700 ppm caramel in cola increased the rate of hydrolysis of the aspartame, forming alpha-L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine. Caramelization products inhibited enzymic browning by 85.8 and 72.2% when heated at pH 4 and 6, respectively, for 90 min. The highest inhibitory activity was found for the fraction with molecular weight of 1000 to 3000. Caramel is often used for adulteration of juices and other foods like honey or coffee. It can be determined by quantification of marker molecules such as 5-HMF, 4-Mel, and DFAs. ... 

The complexity of the mixtures made it impossible to define the chemical composition so the commercial preparations were divided into four groups (Table 8.2) on the basis of a series of sophisticated chemical assay procedures. Caramel colorants must be compatible with the food products in which they are used, which usually means the absence of flocculation and precipitation in the food. These undesirable effects result from charged macromolecular components of caramel which react with the food. Hence the net ionic charge of the caramel macromolecules at the pH of the intended food product is the prime determinant of compatibility. Caramel colorants are used in a variety of foods (Table 8.2) but over 80% of the caramel produced in the US is used to color soft drinks particularly colas and root beers. 

This difference in kinetics was exploited to develop a procedure to determine free and reversibly bound sulfite in food. The mobile phase consisted of an aqueous solution of 0.05 M tetra-butylammonium hydroxide adjusted to the desired pH by the addition of glacial acetic acid (34). Fluorimetric detection is also possible, because a reaction of the formaldehyde-bisulfite complex with 5-aminofluorescein gives a nonfluorescent product. The sulfite is measured indirectly by its suppresion of the fluorescence of the reagent (31). This method is applicable to the determination of S02 at > 10 ppm and is not applicable to dark-colored foods or ingredients where SO, is strongly bound, e.g., caramel color. This method does not detect naturally occurring sulfite. Sulfur dioxide is released by direct alkali extraction. 

Since the compound hydroxymethyl furfural is a major product of ketohexose dehydration, its presence can be used as an indication that caramel has been added as a coloring agent in a nonheated food system (66). In contrast, ketopentose dehydration produces furfural. Another dehydration product, bis-5,5 -formylfurfurly ether, can also be used to confirm the addition of caramel color (66). 

Table 11.1.2. Main pyrolysis products used for the identification of the type of caramel color.

Product type Vinegar Grape must (%) Added sugars Caramel color (E150a-d) Thickeners... 

These chemical reactions and tests for caramel are complemented by a group of physical methods based on size-exclusion chromatography. These methods may be applied for the detection of caramel in beverages, beer, and wine. Caramel may be detected in bread and in various slightly colored products from the sugar industry (raw sugar, molasses, sugar syrups, and the like). Spectral methods are most useful for these purposes. 

Food and additives Animal proteins, Arabic gum, beet juice concentrate, blood products, buttermilk, caramel coloring, carrot juice and concentrate, cheese, cilantro, coffees, egg yolk, gelatins, guar gum, soy sauce, skim milk, tomato paste, yogurt, potato ... 

Colorants — There is little rationale to add colorants (e.g., caramel color) to a meat-like flavoring other than for the convenience of the final user. The colorant would be added to color the final product, thus the choice of the colorant and its usage level would be customer product dependent. 

Coloring of food can be accomplished by synthetic or natural dyes. The laws pertaining to food colorings are different from country to country. However, natural products (- dyes, natural) are normally accepted. Examples are cochineal, chlorophyll, carotenes, bixin and betanin as well as - caramel color. 

Eat something else. Hypoallergenic formulas are available for infant milk formulas that are prepared from soybeans or rice. In this particular instance, it is the individual s responsibility to be aware of potential hidden sources of the allergen. Food product awareness is essential, as the presence of cow s milk protein can include casein, whey, lactalbumin, caramel color, and nougat. Other indications of hidden allergens include egg substitutes that contain chicken egg pro-... 

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