THE RIGHT MIX 1995-12-11

Phil Katz

When it comes to new food product development, market research shows consumers want products that have "homemade" quality, convenience and -- most importantly -- all-natural ingredients. One of the biggest hurdles for the processed food industry in meeting this consumer challenge is to deliver products that look good and are colored with natural ingredients.

Brand marketers take note: colored with natural ingredients does not mean naturally colored. Food and Drug Administration rules permit products to be labeled naturally colored only if they have color that comes from the characterizing ingredients and not from color additives that may just happen to be natural. What that means is that for red grape juice to be naturally red, the color must come from the grapes. A processed food with color additives may have natural ingredients, but cannot be called naturally colored. Color additives allowed in foods are classified by FDA into two major categories: certified and uncertified. The certified colors are synthetic and are known as FD&C Blue 2, Yellow 5 and so on. With the exception of FD&C Yellow 5, these colors used to be collectively listed in the ingredient statement as artificial. Since the National Labeling and Education Act, they must be listed and named separately. The uncertified color additives -- exempt from FDA certification -- are both from natural and artificial sources. These are listed in the Code of Federal Regulations in Title 21 Part 73. Some have restricted use in foods, like the artificial colorant Titanium Dioxide. The natural additives with unrestricted use include annatto extract, beta-carotene, paprika, riboflavin, saffron and turmeric. There is a very real challenge for the developmental technologist to successfully use these natural food colors in processed food products. Aside from the difficulty of achieving quality color when compared with FD&C colors, some natural food colors contribute flavor, others may have poor stability and they are all far more expensive than artificial colors. But the consumer demand forces new technology. As an example, at our parent company, Hauser, advances have been made in the stability of natural colors. One of the major categories of uncertified color from natural sources are the carotenoids such as beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is used in fats and oils, shortenings, butter, margarine, dairy products, beverages, snacks and bakery products. This natural pigment enjoys wide consumer acceptance.

The use of colors from natural sources in the processed food industry is here to stay. The developmental technologist can overcome the technical and economic hurdles to meet the consumer demand to "color it natural."

Phil Katz is president of the Food & Pharmaceutical division of Herbert V. Shuster Inc., a Hauser company. Shuster is a consumer products R&D and testing firm with facilities in Quincy, Mass., and Atlanta.