Color is very important in food because it direclty affects consumer’s perception of the product and influences the purchasing decision process. Sausages, meats, cheeses, jellies and even drinks that are consumed contain dyes that seek to improve the visual appeal of the product. Although it was common to find synthetic-origin dyes for this purpose, today, more and more companies in the world are using dyes of natural origin.
Dyes provide a uniform appearance to natural colors, increasing their visual appeal and/or maintaining the organoleptic qualities related to color in those foods in which the process could modify them.
Why natural colorants?
Growing consumer awareness of diet influence on health is driving consumers to demand more from the ingredients of food they eat. Today trend is a responsible consumption looking for more and more natural options, dyes-free and other artificial additives.
That is why today natural dyes are an option provinding also value solutions to a growing demand for clean labels.
In Peru, 95% of the world cochineal carmine is produced and followed by at least four more natural dyes in the race to position themselves in the food industry of the planet. If achieved, Peru could become the main supplier of natural dyes in the world.
Natural dyes can be used, for example, in sports drinks, a growing sector worldwide. There is no doubt that today’s trend towards the consumption of natural products is growing worldwide. Giant Kraft company is a clear example of this. It announced it would stop using synthetic dyes to start using bixin in its cheeses. Other companies that have followed this example are the Danish Hansen and the European Dannon.
