Natural Food Colours: A Review

Appearance of the food really shapes what people expect from it. The colour especially sets the stage for how we think it’ll taste, how good it is, and even how healthy it seems. Artificial colours have been a go-to in the food world for ages. They’re cheap, reliable, and don’t break down easily during processing. But lately, things are shifting. As more people are being aware about the food they consume, they want good quality ingredients, clean labels, naturally sourced foods. Hence, there’s a big demand to find colourants that are chemically stable, inert. Even so, natural colours are not perfect. They don’t remain stable as opposed to artificial dyes. They break down faster, don’t give as much colour, can react strangely with other ingredients, and just can’t match every shade that synthetics offer. So, synthetics can’t be swapped for a natural pigment and expect it to work everywhere. This review delves into where natural or biologically derived pigments come from, which are the commonly used natural food colours, along with a basic overview on some industrial techniques for the extraction of those pigments or compounds. It breaks down the main types of natural food colours like anthocyanins, carotenoids, betalains, and chlorophyll-based pigments looking at how they work and where they’re used now. There’s also a look at some upcoming options, like Violacein and new red anthocyanins, that could help widen the natural colour palette for everything from warm and cool to neutral tones.