Today there is a strong trend toward drinks with natural colorants as additives as they provide valuable solutions to a growing demand in favor of clean labels and more responsible and conscious consumption.
Natural colors suitable for drinks vary greatly according to beverage type and packaging. The beverage pH is one of the greatest influencing factors to predict the performance of natural colors. While colors such as paprika and beta-carotene can withstand a wide range of pH, anthocyanins will appear bright red in sports drinks and vitamins with a pH of around 3.0, but are not stable in most neutral pH drinks and will vary from blue to gray.
Ingredients such as added flavors, vitamins and polyphenols can interact with different natural colors. For example, the addition of vitamin C will improve the stability of natural beta-carotene. In contrast, vitamin C degrades anthocyanins in carbonated drinks.
Addition of natural dyes to juices helps standardize stationary variations in fruit appearances. The content of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in juice drinks is a critical factor in choosing color. Another option for juices includes beet and caramel color for stability in acid.
The most common colors, in addition to coffee, in carbonated drinks are yellow, orange, and red. You can create formulas using natural or nature identical beta-carotene, anthocyanins, and carmine in fruit-flavor carbonated drinks.
Nature provides bright and beautiful shades of violet, red, orange and yellow necessary to color drinks such as:
- Powdered drinks
- Carbonated drinks
- Alcoholic drinks
- Liquors
- Flavored waters
- Juices
- Cider
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