The range of natural colourings

The range of natural colourings goes from yellow through orange, red and green to brown and black. In many cases different raw materials or blends of these can 

The turmeric plant. Curcuma longa, is cultivated in maty tropical countries, with the primary conunercial production taking place in India. It has been used as a spice for thousands of years and is one of the principal ingredients in curry. The main colouring pigment is curcumin. The turmeric roots are harvested around February, ground to a powder and subsequently extracted with solvent. The resulting turmeric oleoresin has a curcumin content of 37 to 55% and the same relative proportion of flavour compounds and colour as in the spice. 

The pure colom is produced by further crystallisation of the oleoresin resulting in a product with minimum 90% curcumin and very little of the flavour compounds. It is insoluble in water and poorly soluble in other solvents. Typical products for use in the food industry have a curcumin content of 4 to 10% and are achieved by dispersing pure curcumin in a mixture of food-grade solvent and emulsifier, by dissolving in vegetable oil or by spraying onto starch. 

Curcumin in aqueous media has a lemon-yellow colour with a distinct green shade at low pH. Typical applications include dairy products, sugar confectioneiy, ice cream, water ice, bakery and savoury products. Curcumin has good heat and acid stabihty, but is sensitive to hght. It can, however, be used in products packed in non-transparent packaging. 

Annatto is the seed of the bush, Bixa orellana, which is mainly found in Central and South America and in East Africa. Traditionally, annatto seeds are also used as a spice, often blended with other ingredients before addition to soups and meat dishes. The seeds grow in large clusters of capsular fruits that upon harvesting are dried in the sun, cracked open and taken out by hand. The basic colour pigment is bixin, a natural carotenoid that is found in the thin resinous coating of the seed, ft can be extracted in different ways to yield oil-soluble extracts, oil suspensions or water-soluble extracts. 

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The iirformation given in this chapter is an overall description of the range of natural colours and how to use them in different applications. The manufacturing processes used by the food and beverage industries vary and the use of natural colours will often be a case-by-case evaluation. For the best results it is recommended to follow specific advice from the colour supplier. 

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