OVERCOMING OFF-FLAVORS WHEN WORKING WITH NATURAL …
Transcript of OVERCOMING OFF-FLAVORS WHEN WORKING WITH NATURAL …
OVERCOMING OFF-FLAVORS
WHEN WORKING WITH
NATURAL FOOD COLORS
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Soaring Consumer Demand for Pure and Simple IngredientsConsumer interest in fewer, more recognizable
ingredient lists on packaged food products has
rapidly and steadily grown over the past few
years. According to NMI Research, the number of
products launched that describe themselves as
Pure, Simple, or Real almost doubled in 2013
compared to 2009 and is on pace to increase
again in 2014.
74%HEALTHY / NUTRITIOUS foods / beverages
NATURAL foods / beverages
ORGANIC foods / beverages
40%
Natural foods/beverages• They are better for me• To promote overall heatlth
Organic foods/beverages • To avoid pesticides• To avoid additives, toxins
HEALTHIER AVOIDANCE
“Essentially, the demand for pure and simple ingredients is driven by the perception that foods with these attributes offer better nutrition.”
WHY? Sensient® Colors’ consumer research
clearly demonstrates that food and beverage prod-
ucts that are perceived as ‘natural’ from the con-
sumer point of view are preferred because of the
belief that natural products are simply healthier.
Consumers define natural as being less processed
and containing simple, recognizable ingredients
from nature. Demand for organic products or
ingredients, while also perceived as a healthier
choice, is motivated more by a desire to avoid con-
taminants like pesticides.
Demand is growing. While 42% of consumers
indicated they selected food products based
on the ingredient list in 2008, this number has
grown to 55% today. Meanwhile 67% indicate
they want products that are free from synthetic
colors, flavors, and preservatives, up from 51%
in 2008. This is even more true when it comes
to the key Millennial Mom consumer segment.
40% 24%
Key Drivers of Consumer Interest: Naturals & Organics
Why consumers initiated usage?
And just because mainstream consumers are motivat-
ed to seek out packaged food products with simpler
ingredient statements, does not mean they are willing
to sacrifice on taste. While early adopters of natural
products were willing to make trade-offs, today’s main-
stream shopper wants it all.
The availability of natural colorants from plant based
sources that can be labeled using consumer accepted
terms such as vegetable or fruit juice continues to grow.
However, achieving desired color shades, especially more
vivid ones, can be difficult. In addition to pH sensitivity
that render certain natural color sources inappropriate
for some applications, many of the most desirable
extracts from a shade standpoint have the potential to
impart off-notes in finished formulations. The flavor
interaction may make their use unsuitable in some
applications, notably beverage formulas.
Demand is growing. While 42% of consumers in-
dicated they selected food products based on the
ingredient list in 2008, this number has grown
to 55% today. Meanwhile 67% indicate they
want products that are free from synthetic colors,
flavors, and preservatives, up from 51% in 2008.
This is even more true when it comes to the key
Millennial Mom consumer segment.
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Formulating With Natural Colorants Poses Unique Challenges Percentage of population who wants foods free
from artificial colors, flavors and preservatives
51%54%
62%
54%55%
67%
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
The use of flavor maskers can be a potential solu-
tion for some applications, but there are potentially
significant drawbacks to this approach. While the
masker may be effective in blocking the off-notes,
they also have the tendency to mute desired flavor
in some cases. Additionally, flavor maskers may
work to mitigate flavor taint initially, only to
have the off-notes return with further oxidation
or degradation to the natural color extract.
“Achieving desired color shades, especially more vivid ones, can be difficult.”
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Likewise, oil soluble carotenoids can also
produce flavor off-notes. But in their case,
oxidation of the extract itself is the culprit.
Even with the addition of antioxidants to
retard the process, they can still produce
off-notes that affect flavor. Additionally,
some colorants such as paprika oleoresin
or even red beet, both of which can pro-
duce very attractive shades, have inherent
off-notes that may make them unsuitable
in certain applications.
What Is Going On?Several classes of natural colorants have
issues with respect to flavor taint. Notably,
certain Anthocyanins such as red cabbage
and red radish can produce significant off-
notes. The odoriferous components in these
anthocyanins are caused by enzymatic
degradation of select substrates in the
extracts. For example, off-notes in extracts
from the Brassicaceae family of vegetables
results from chemical degradation of
the glucosinolate sinigrin.
“Several classes of natural colorants have issues with respect to flavor”
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The end result is that for many
applications, such as beverage,
panned sweets, and yogurt, common
natural color solutions currently in
use have drawbacks. For example,
an oil-water-water emulsion system
containing both beta carotene and
purple sweet potato colors could be
used as a solution to replace synthetic
Red 40 in a beverage formula. The
downside is that with the presence of
ascorbic acid, the stability of the beta
carotene is enhanced but stability for
the anthocyanin will suffer causing a
shade shift. A single natural colorant
is preferable.
Thus we still have a gap
in the shade portfolio
for manufacturers that
want to avoid the use
of synthetic colors or
more controversial
natural options such
as carmine and caramel.
The real opportunity lies
with advancements in
purification technolo-
gies that can allow the
the use of colorants
currently precluded from
use due to undesirable
off-notes.
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“A single natural colorant is preferable.”
New sources of botanical
colorants also may
provide alternatives. In
the end, the goal has to
be to achieve the optimal
color shades consumers
have come to expect
based on their expecta-
tions and preferences.
Shade DegradationThe traditional method used to
remove off-notes is the use of
an absorbing resin. However,
this technology is both
laborious and requires the
use of organic solvents to
desorb the color after removal
of the undesired components.
Because this requires some
heat, the process can degrade
the finished color. Similarly,
removal of unwanted inherent
off-notes can produce
color degradation.
Residual SolventsSecondly, purification
processes may leave residual
solvent on the colorant that
is either unwanted by food
manufacturers or has issues
with respect to regulatory
approval. Additionally, the
presence of residue may also
elevate the risk of challeng-
es from activist groups who
question the legitimacy of a
natural color claim.
The ChallengeComplete removal of off-notes from natural colorants has thus far
been elusive. There are two main obstacles to overcome.
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© 2014 Sensient Colors LLC, all rights reserved. The SENSIENT trademark and the Sensient Technologies Corporation logo are owned and registered by Sensient Technologies Corporation. All rights in trademarks are reserved.
This is great news as it opens up the possibility of em-
ploying some of the most vibrant botanical colors in more
applications. In panned sweets, for example, a developer
can achieve shades similar to that delivered by FD&C Red
40 or carmine without any off-notes using new Pure-S™
Natural Red. Similarly, Pure-S™ Natural Orange will allow
beverage brands to achieve vivid orange shades to
replace FD&C Yellow 6 more effectively than
current natural color options.
Pure and simple formulations are more attainable than
ever before with Sensient’s advanced purification technol-
ogies that better capture nature’s full spectrum of color.
“Sensient achieved a breakthrough in purification technologies for natural colors.”
Researchers at Sensient Colors recog-
nized the gap in the natural color port-
folio several years ago. New botanicals,
notably spirulina and Sensient’s proprietary
Natural Blue colors, have empowered brands
to extend the range of colors they use to
delight consumers.
More recently, food scientists at Sensient
achieved a breakthrough in purification tech-
nologies for several natural colorants. The
technologies are gentle yet efficiently remove
undesired material that cause off-notes. Just
as important, the purification processes result
in little to no color shade degradation and
leave no unwanted residual solvent.
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“Sensient Pure-S™ Technologies Offer Hope.”
Resources: 1. Natural Marketing Institute Natural Color Study, 2014