overcoming off-flavors when working with natural …

OVERCOMING OFF-FLAVORS

WHEN WORKING WITH

NATURAL FOOD COLORS

OVERCOMING OFF-FLAVORS WHEN WORKING WITH NATURAL FOOD COLORS | page 1

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.


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.”


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”


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.


“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.



© 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.


“Sensient Pure-S™ Technologies Offer Hope.”

Resources: 1. Natural Marketing Institute Natural Color Study, 2014

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