IN PURSUITOF A RED 40REPLACEMENT

1

Despite all of the media’s criticism directed towards the synthetic color, the FDA remains firm on their position concerning the safety of Red 40. There just isn’t enough

substantial evidence to claim Red 40 harms people. However, a simple Google search yields the following results “The Scary Truth about Red 40” and "Is Red Dye 40 Toxic?"

These articles are great portrayals of the media’s relationship with Red 40, stating food dyes like Red 40 carry carcinogens and cause allergic reactions.

The chemical makeup of Red 40: Disodium 6-hydroxy-5-[(2-methoxy-5-methyl-4- sulfophenyl)azo]-2-naphthalenesulfonate

“Fickle” and “unpredictable” are far from the right words to describe the intensely beautiful and consistent shades of red so many developers have come to expect of Red 40, with some exceptions in beverages.

A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS

In response, many food scientists have been in pursuit of a Red 40 replacement. A conversion to natural red has proven to be quite daunting for some because of an obvious void in available natural colors—a heat-stable red at neutral pH. In food

and beverages where a heat-step is required for processing like cookies, chips, extruded cereals and snacks, strawberry milks or red velvet baked goods, a natural red that survives extreme heat temperatures has been missing. At times, the absent natural color

solution has left brands to discontinue their red-colored products. Unfortunately, many food scientists end up compromising their natural color conversion by sacrificing shade and enduring less than ideal processing effects in their quest to replace Red 40.

A Damsel in DistressIn Pursuit of a Red 40 Replacement

Red 40, a once reliable colorant for food manufacturers, has earned a reputation for being the most concerning artificial color to consumers.

SO THE JOURNEY BEGINS...

Successful in Low-Water Activity Applications

THERE IS A DOWNSIDE TO BEET COLORANTS

CROSSING THE PATH OF A TRICKSTERA logical alternative to replace Red 40 would be color sourced from the beet. Expressed and concentrated from the Beta vulgaris, or more commonly known as the beet root, natural color from beet functions like a dye and delivers a broad portfolio of red and magenta shades.

But, there is a downside to beet colorants—they are unstable under high heat processing and undergo the Maillard effect or browning. In 1912, French scientist, Louis-Camille Maillard, first discovered the chemical reaction while studying amino acids and reduced carbohydrates, noting specifically the acceleration of the process in alkaline environments where amino groups do not neutralize (Edinformatics). Similar to the browning of baked bread or cooked meat, a food production line’s heat step would change the redness of a beet-sourced colorant. When bread dough or meat is introduced to a hot oven, a complex chemical reaction occurs on the surface.

The carbon molecules contained in the carbohydrates combine with the amino acids of the proteins. This blend occurs on the surface of the heated bread dough, meat or beet and causes the color alteration.

Baked goods or extruded goods would be applications where the red beet colorant would be subject to the Maillard effect and shift to a muddied brown.

Color sourced from beet is labeled as a “vegetable juice” on ingredient lists, making it a great clean label claim. The strength of beet juice is based on its level of betanin, reported as % betanin.

In any form, beet colorants are soluble in water and perform best within the pH range of 3.9-6.5. Beet juice is most stable in low water activity applications: ice cream, yogurt, fruit bars, instant dessert mixes or dry mix beverages.

Maillard Effect of the Beet Colorant in a High Heat Application

ONWARD WE GO...

In addition, usage rates are typically quite high with colors sourced from beet, which can cause disparities in flavor and texture. Unfortunately, the flavors of the earthy root vegetable carry over into products sometimes where higher usage rates are required to achieve bright and vivid red target shades. Beet juice has also been known to alter the texture of products at times; for example, higher usage rates have caused cookie wafers to become undesirably brittle and frail.

Beet-sourced colors have the personality of tricksters; they deceive food scientists as possible Red 40 replacements, but their success varies depending on the application.

2 Crossing the Path of a Trickster

In Pursuit of a Red 40 Replacement

DECIPHERING A CHANGE OF HEARTSometimes things start off great, but then turn in another direction. This is the case for Carmine. Starting off as a bestseller for natural red coloring because of its great stability across food and beverage products, carmine now has some consumers turning up their noses in disgust.

Recall back to the 2012 media stories about Starbucks’ use of ‘bug juice’ coloring in their Strawberry Frappuccino/Smoothies and Red Velvet Whoopie Pies. Since then, the mogul coffee company has removed Carmine from products, but the negativity surrounding the natural color source remains today.

Female cochineal—which

outnumber the males 200

to 1—are brushed from

the cacti and air-dried in

the sun. After drying, they

are bagged and delivered

to central markets for sale

to carmine producers. The

dried cochineal, which

contain 17% to 24% carminic

acid, are subjected to a

carefully controlled

extraction process in an

acidic, aqueous, alcohol

solution. This solution

of carminic acid is then

precipitated (laked) on a

If the bug ‘ick factor’ isn’t enough, there are unfortunately other drawbacks to carmine. It would not support a brand’s movement to cleaner and simpler ingredients, because it must be labeled as an ‘allergen’ on a product’s ingredient list. Carmine also does not align with Kosher or Halal standards, making it additionally unavailable to a subset of consumers.

Blurring the lines between beauty and disgust, the pink to magenta range of reds from carmine color originates from dried female insects called cochineal (Dactylopius coccus costa (Coccus cacti L).

substratum of aluminum

hydrate using aluminum

and calcium cation as

precipitants. The resulting

lake is called carmine.

Approximately 70,000

insects are needed to

make one pound of 50%

carminic acid lake.

In the 1980s, carmine

gained importance as the

natural replacer of FD&C

Red 3 with its bright and

varied shades of red

delivered successfully

across different pH levels.

Cochineal insects on cacti

The excellent stability

is primarily the result of

its core anthraquinone or

honeycomb

structure of the

carminic acid

molecules. The

honeycomb

makeup provides the

carminic acid with the

least density and highest

compression of its pigment

properties, exaggerating

its color performance

throughout a variety of

applications and conditions.

UNDER THE BRIDGE AND THROUGH THE WOODS...

Carmine Application: Yogurts

3 Deciphering a Change of Heart

In Pursuit of a Red 40 Replacement

Anthocyanin Color Inconsistency in High Heat Applications

THERE'S SUNSHINE THROUGH THE CLOUDS THOUGH...

DANCING WITH THE UNCANNYBlack carrots, purple sweet potatoes, red radishes and grape skin extract are common sources of the anthocyanin family used for food color extraction.

Colors sourced from anthocyanins prove to be quite mysterious to food scientists because of their inherent nature to shade shift across pH levels.

For most anthocyanins, the lower the pH, the more intense and stable the color. As the pH level rises, anthocyanins change shades and hug more closely to purples than reds, sometimes at the ex-pense of stability.

Each anthocyanin exhibits a different stability profile predominantly determined by the following: The chemical structure of the anthocyanin

Other extracted compounds in the color product (flavonoids, polymerized anthocyanins, etc.)

The ingredients and processing used in the finished product

Successful in Low pH Applications

Many people are intrigued by the uncertainty or unknown of the uncanny, but when formulating color solutions, stability is certainly a priority. So how do you control pH-sensitive anthocyanins? The answer is with acid, and this modification makes some uncomfortable, especially those handling the hazmat material during manufacturing. However, pH-modified anthocyanins allow food scientists to gain some oversight of shade stability. Adding acid to an anthocyanin-based color also could potentially affect the durability of a finished product's texture; for example, a cookie's wafer could experience unwanted crumbling and degeneration. Also, colors sourced from red radishes tend to carry their peppery, crisp and bitter flavors into their finished products, altering your product's taste expected by consumers. The inconsistencies and sensitivities of anthocyanins make them imperfect replacements of Red 40, especially in high heat processing.

Feelings associated with the uncanny are ultimately fear and anxiety about stability, and this sense rings true for anthocyanins. While very familiar sources of color, their enigmatic nature makes them poor suitors for high heat applications but great for low pH products: ready-to-drink beverages, dry mix beverages, fruit fillings, yogurts and confections.

4 Dancing with the Uncanny

In Pursuit of a Red 40 Replacement

A HERO SAVESTHE DAY

5 A Hero Saves the Day

In Pursuit of a Red 40 Replacement

So how do we beat the browns, bugs and purples to win the reds in applications where pH levels rise due to heat processing? In a continued search for the perfect Red 40 replacement, a hero was born.

After several years of hard work, Sensient's R&D discovered a breakthrough solution—an all-natural Red 40 replacement that delivers vibrant shades of red at neutral pH and stands up to extreme heat processing. This solution revolutionizes baked goods, including vivid red velvets, dry grocery goods such as extruded cereals and ready-to-eat snacks, confections such as licorice, gummies or panned candies, and strawberry UHT dairy products to name a few. Finally, a vibrant, stable all-natural red that survives heat step applications is available. Food and beverage manufacturers now have a natural solution for Red 40 that provides relief from adverse development issues from beet and anthocyanin-sourced colors.

Clean, simple “vegetable juice” labeling SupraRed is sourced from a beet, and our novel technology providing its strength and endurance is free from any chemical solvents.

Excellent heat stability Typical baked and dry grocery goods are in the 5-7 pH range, and products that undergo a heat process will have an increased pH level out of the standard range. The innovation behind SupraRed allows it to stand up to extreme temperatures and rising pH levels while still delivering bold, vibrant shades of red. Kosher, Halal and GMO-free The vegetable source and clean, chemical-free technology of SupraRed make it a viable option for Kosher, Halal and GMO-free products. Low usage rates eliminate product flavor off-notes and texture issues SupraRed is over five times stronger than a regular beet color solution. Depending on target shade, typical usage levels range from 0.1%-1.5%. Color intensity can be achieved with low usage levels, leaving no room for disparities in flavor and texture in finished products. No acidified material Acidified solvents and chemical modifications are not used to enhance SupraRed in any way. Additionally, our Certasure™ program combines stringent testing protocol with raw material traceability to remove the supply chain risk associated with color solutions from natural sources. SupraRed will 100% support a clean label strategy without any questions about purity and safety.

We call it SupraRed™, and like red’s association with desire, SupraRed delivers a number of longed for advantages, including the following:

Discover the dynamics of SupraRed™ today by requesting a sample here. If you have questions or projects where you may need assistance, you can also set up a consultation with one of our natural color experts.

6 A Hero Saves the Day

In Pursuit of a Red 40 Replacement