Dye identical to natural. What are food colorings made from? All about food coloring

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-02 16:12

Why is a dye identical to natural needed? And how to use it in cooking? Few people know the answers to these and other questions regarding such substances. That is why we decided to devote this article to this difficult topic.

General information

Before I tell you how to use food coloring at home, we should tell you what this product is.

This is a group of synthetic or natural dyes that are used to color foods with different colors.

It should be especially noted that such an ingredient began to be used in cooking centuries ago. So, in ancient Egypt, they colored wine and sweets, as well as other foods and drinks. But by the end of the 18th century, the food industry had developed so much that it began to use a wide range of this product as an additive to completely different dishes, including to mask the poor quality of the main ingredients. In addition, natural dyes were often used for decorative purposes.

Of course, inthose distant times there was no control over the use of the mentioned component. But with the development of the market, as well as with ideas about the dangers of toxic compounds for humans, legislation on the norms for their use nevertheless arose. It is currently being reduced to an approved list of approved food additives.

Classification of substances

How are food colorings used at home? We will tell you about this a little lower. Now I want to talk about what types these additives are divided into

As you know, dyes for changing the color of individual products are divided into 3 main types:

• synthetic;
• natural;
• dye identical to natural.

Let's explore together exactly what their difference is.

Synthetic dyes

Food coloring for cakes and other products does not have to be natural. That is why, when buying pastries or other sweets in the store, you should pay special attention to their composition.

If you find on the label that the product contains synthetic dyes, this does not mean that it is unhe althy. After all, all manufacturers for the manufacture of their products are required to use only those additives that are included in the list approved by law. Although one cannot fail to say that with the regular use of dishes with the use of coloring agents, one can cause significant harm to one's he alth.

So, synthetic dyes representare additives that do not occur naturally. In other words, they were made in a laboratory or factory.

It should be especially noted that for safety reasons, these substances must be thoroughly tested and tested for the possibility of consumption.

Examples of synthetic dyes

To recognize such additives in the composition (on the product packaging), we present several options:

• Dye E124 (another name for Ponceau 4R). Such a crimson additive has a chemical origin. It is a s alt (sodium), which can be in the form of granules or red powder. It cannot be said that, despite the fact that such a dye is approved for use, it is classified as a hazardous substance.
• Azo dyes (another name is amaranth or C₂0H₁₁N₂Na 3_O10_S3_{) and so on}

It should be noted that there are many other additives that are used to improve the appearance and quality of products (for example, quinoline, xanthene, indigoid, triarylmethanes, etc.). Recognizing them in the composition is not so difficult. They are designated as dye E124, E123, etc.

Features of substances

Synthetic food colors for cakes and other foods generally dissolve well in normal water and can be applied without pre-treatment. Usually, the dishes where they are added can be subjected to absolutely any influence (for example,sterilization, freezing, refrigeration and pasteurization). Moreover, using red dyes or additives of other colors, the manufacturer is able to significantly improve the appearance of products. Often they are also used to mask ingredients that have already expired.

Natural dyes

Natural dyes are considered the most harmless and safe for the human body. But, unfortunately, such additives are difficult to obtain and are not subject to long-term storage. That is why most manufacturers prefer to add precisely those substances that are of synthetic origin to their products.

So, natural dyes are made from natural sources. Among them are the following: herbs, fruit peels, vegetable leaves, plant seeds and roots, various fruits, berries, etc.

By the way, animals often act as such sources. For example, red dyes (carminic acid, for example) are obtained from the bodies of scale insects. These insects feed on cactus leaves. They are collected for industrial purposes in Spain, Africa and even Central America. In order to extract the coloring pigment, the bodies of all insects are first dried and then crushed.

As you can see, the extraction of natural nutritional supplements is a rather laborious and lengthy process that costs a lot of time and effort, as well as significant financial costs.

Natural Identical Dye

As mentioned a little above, obtaining the necessary dyes from environmentally friendly natural raw materials can be so expensive thatits retail sale will not be able to pay for itself. Moreover, the quality of natural supplements varies markedly depending on various factors (unstable). That is why the manufacturers of these substances decided to get out of this situation and find laboratory methods that would allow them to obtain a dye identical to natural.

It should be noted that additives made in this way are much cheaper and better.

So, food coloring components that are identical to natural ones are exactly the same substances (that is, they have the same molecules) as those found in natural sources. However, they are made artificially.

For example, insects of the cactus false scale contain a red natural dye (or the so-called carmine dye). After long laboratory tests, scientists were able to artificially make the same bright additive, but without using the bodies of living beings. Now carmine dye has become much cheaper and more affordable.

Chemical classes of natural dyes

Identical dye for water and solids - a compound that is divided into the following chemical classes:

1. Indigoid, which were found by specialists in beets. It should be noted that such an additive is very similar to carmine. Their color almost completely matches (bright red or burgundy).
2. Flavonoids found in many fruits, flowers and vegetables. Thanks to them, food manufacturers began to usea wide range of colors during the production of confectionery and other products.
3. Carotenoids. This substance is found in tomatoes, carrots, oranges, as well as in most plants.

Features of natural and identical natural dyes

Unlike synthetic additives, natural ones practically do not dissolve in water. However, they interact well with oil. This means that they are quite difficult to add directly to products. After all, for this you will have to convert them into potassium or sodium s alts.

Food Color Requirements

It doesn't matter what dyes (identical to natural, natural or synthetic) are used to produce a particular product. The main thing is that they meet all the necessary requirements:

• Safety. In other words, the substance used in the prescribed dosage should not harm the human body. It should be free of carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, and in no case should they have a pronounced biological activity.
• Color fastness. Any food coloring should be resistant to light, reducing and oxidizing agents, as well as changes in temperature and acid-base environment.
• High degree of coloration of certain products at low concentrations of the added substance. For example, the dye carmine (color - red) should give the product a rich color, even in small quantities.
• The ability to dissolve in fats orwater. Moreover, absolutely all dyes must be evenly distributed in the total mass of food products (without the appearance of specks, stains, etc.).

It should also be noted that with the help of certain food colorings it is not allowed to mask the true color of the product caused by its spoilage, the use of low-quality raw materials or a violation of the technological regime.

What are the groups of dyes?

We described above how food colorings are classified by origin. However, I would like to tell you about what types they are divided into according to their structure.

So, colorants for food can be:

• liquid;
• dry;
• gelled.

Let's consider them in more detail.

Liquid dyes

Such food additives are very often used for coloring creams and other confectionery products. Moreover, they are often used by airbrushes, as well as to give a particular color to the protein-drawing mass.

It should also be noted that liquid food coloring is best suited for coloring homemade sugar paste. They are simply added to the base instead of ordinary drinking water. It should also be noted that natural liquid dyes are most common. Although sometimes they can be found in the form of synthetic additives.

Dry Matter

Dry (powder) food coloring is the most economical option and is most commonly used inlarge-scale food production.

Due to their saturation and dense consistency, such substances allow you to significantly reduce dosages. And this leads to a significant reduction in cash costs when decorating various confectionery products.

Powder or dry dyes are universal. They can be used on various surfaces (e.g. marzipan, fondant, caramel, chocolate, edible paper, etc.).

It should also be noted that dry substances can be easily added to confectionery masses and neutral cold gel, as they are fat-soluble dyes. Thanks to this, the manufacturer is able to make completely different products, significantly changing their color.

It should also be said that dry food colors are quite easily converted into liquid ones. To do this, the powder must be diluted with alcohol, warm boiled water or vodka. In this case, the ratio of these ingredients is chosen at your own discretion.

Gel Supplements

Gel food colorings are concentrates of coloring gels. Most often they are used in the confectionery industry. So, with the help of these substances, sugar mastic is colored, as well as marzipan, fudge, icing, creams and cream, chocolate icing, chocolate and other products that are made on the basis of granulated sugar.

If you decide to use gel food colors in your production, then you should know what advantages they have.

Firstly, such an additive has absolutely no taste andsmell. Secondly, after being added to a particular product, it is not able to change its structure. Thirdly, such dyes are quite economical. So, their approximate consumption is 1.5 grams of concentrate per 1 kg of dyed mass.

The method of applying gel dyes is quite simple. To do this, the amount of additive required to obtain a certain color interferes with the bulk of the product being dyed.

As a rule, such a component is sold in plastic jars or tubes.

Features of using food coloring

During the production of a food product where color is added, it is recommended to consider the following:

• with an increase in fats, as well as prolonged mixing of the product, the intensity and degree of its staining noticeably decreases;
• acidity of the environment has a direct impact on the shade of color and color intensity;
• increasing the amount of ascorbic acid reduces the color intensity of the finished product;
• Some synthetic and natural dyes in solutions may discolour when exposed to light;
• heat treatment does not change the hue or color intensity of a product made with synthetic food coloring;
• magnesium and calcium ions, which are found in hard water, often precipitate with dyes;
• in fermented milk products, synthetic dyes fade within a few hours;
• natural dyes are not recommended for coloringproducts that are intended for long-term storage;
• natural dyes should not be exposed to high temperatures;
• to color fermented milk products in a reddish hue, it is better to use beetroot dye or carmines, which are most stable at pH 2 to 7.

Summarize

Now you know what food coloring is, what they are and how to add them to foods. It should be noted that for home use it is best to purchase only natural substances. By the way, you can make them yourself. For example, by squeezing the juice from beets or carrots, and then adding to butter or any other cooking oil.