Ingredients and Formulation: February 2007 Ingredient Round-Up - Colorants

All that glitters

Edible Glitter can add color in new ways or create a swirl of "snow" in a carbonated beverage. Now, even flavors and sweeteners can be added to Edible Glitter, which opens up new applications for this product. The vendor recently added gold and silver metallic Edible Glitters, which look dramatic on chocolates and other dark colors.

Watson Inc.; West Haven, Conn.
www.watson-inc.com/film_technology.php; 800-388-3481

Naturally red

Tomat-O-Red offers an all-natural, vegetarian and kosher alternative to coloring with carmine/cochineal. It is stable in a wide range of temperatures, no color shift occurs with pH changes, and it is offered in two ready-to-use formulations (liquid dispersion or cold-water dispersible powder). Suitable for a wide variety of food and beverage applications, it has the added benefit of containing lycopene, a healthy colorant.

P.L. Thomas; Morristown, N.J.
973-984-0900; www.plthomas.com

Not-white chocolate

White chocolate can be naturally colored and flavored for use in gourmet confections. A new proprietary, two-layer, all-natural, vegetable-based emulsification process evenly disperses natural colorants through fractionated palm kernel oil (PKO). These emulsifications can be used in many different applications including white chocolate, PKO coatings, icings and fillings. Recent examples include lemon yellow, cherry red, blueberry blue, peppermint green and citrus orange.

ColorMaker, Inc.; Anaheim, Calif.
714-572-0444; www.colormaker.com

Superior annatto

Annatto Advantage utilizes a unique annatto drying process that minimizes the introduction of oxygen into the annatto, thereby reducing the risk of color fade. The superior color retention of the annatto powder gives product developers more confidence in shelf stability of yellow to deep orange colors for snack foods, seasonings and dry mixes.

D.D. Williamson; Louisville, Ky.
502-895-2438; www.ddwilliamson.com

Pearlescent pigments

SensiPearl is a range of pearlescent pigments that bring luster and iridescent shimmer to food products. Another new offering is the SensiSpers lipo range, a synthetic color system that offers brighter shades over standard lake colors.

Sensient Food Colors; St. Louis
314-658-7460; www.sensient-tech.com

Custom colors and blends

The vendor works with customers to deliver color solutions for cereals and other products, both from an existing product range and through custom products. A specialty is value-added blends, which allow customers to obtain specific shades with the highest stability and performance. The vendor also blends natural colorants with synthetic dyes and lakes to provide shades that may not be attainable with natural or synthetic colors exclusively.

Chr. Hansen; Milwaukee
800-558-0802; www.chr-hansen.com

Natural pigments

Two new lines of natural pigments are new. The first is a group of plant-based natural colors suitable for replacing synthetic lake colors and carmine in compressed tablets, panned candies, capsules, frostings, glazes, dry mixes, etc. Shades currently available include red, purple, yellow and green. The second is a line of pearlescent pigments based on titanium dioxide, which provide a silver or gold shimmer or coating in frostings, coatings, confections and nutraceuticals.

Food Ingredient Solutions; Teterboro, N.J.
201-440-4377 ; www.foodcolor.com

Certified organic caramel

OC90 is a class I, sucrose-based liquid caramel color, developed in response to increasing customer demands for organic offerings. The label-friendly color can improve the visual appeal of new organic foods and beverages. The vendor is in compliance with the USDA National Organic Program, and the package will carry the USDA Organic seal.

Sethness Caramel Color; Lincolnwood, Ill.
847-329-2080; www.sethness.com