Natural Color in Ice Pops, Slushes, Frozen Treats
Sparking Joy with Frozen Treats
Let’s grab a little treat.
Ice pops, slushes, frozen novelties, and other frozen treats are fun – and delicious- ways for today’s consumers to treat themselves. These frozen goods are often nostalgic for consumers and offer a small spark of affordable joy amidst busy lives.
Ice cream and novelties align with joy for 90% of consumers, and as consumers are trying to maximize joy and are comparably less constrained by tighter budgets than last year.
MINTEL 2024
Especially for younger consumers, having a frozen snack, drink, or dessert is just part of daily life. It’s a regular shopping habit, and consumers seek flavorful additions to their diets.
36% of consumers purchase a new frozen snack once a month or more, with unique flavor (44%) a main driver.
MINTEL 2024
44% of frozen treat consumers try new frozen treats once a month or more.
MINTEL 2024
Experiential Frozen Treats:
Delicious & Fun
It’s not just about enjoying something tasty, either; consumers want to have a delightful, novel experience via the foods that they consume. Interesting flavors, textures, or colors can lead the way to an extra-special frozen treat. Consumers are looking for unique flavors and format varieties to bring unexpected twists to common, well-loved products.
76% of consumers agree that trying unique flavors is a fun experience.
MINTEL 2024
Perhaps the best way to entice consumers and highlight flavor and texture profiles is through color, and natural color in particular is on the rise along with other premium ingredients. Consumers are willing to spend more on “worth it” treats and products.
About half of ice cream consumers and frozen novelty consumers are interested in products made with premium ingredients.
MINTEL 2024
Look to natural color to add visual interest and appeal to ice pops, slushes, and other frozen treats. Here are considerations to keep in mind:
Natural Color in Ice Pops,
Slushes, Frozen Treats
Acidity
Many ice pop, slush, and frozen treat applications will have an acidic, low-pH environment. It’s important to choose colors that will thrive in these conditions and not break down under acids. Sensient offers strong anthocyanins like black carrot that can withstand the right pH levels, which are typically around 2.5 to 3.5 in ice pops and slushes.
Solubility
For many of these frozen snacks, water is the main base. High water content can affect the solubility of many colors that may be oil soluble, such as beta carotene. Our proprietary AET™ technology can mitigate any issues caused by natural color solubility to prevent bleeding or separation.
Light
If packaged in clear wrapping or containers, ice pops or other frozen novelties might be subject to a good deal of light exposure throughout their lifecycles. Opting for a natural color that will withstand light is a key factor in selecting the right choice.
Temperature
The below-freezing temperatures of these treats can be too harsh for certain natural colors. Having stable pigments that can last through chilly processing and storage will ensure that the natural color won’t fade over time.
Need help understanding stability?
Color Considerations for Frozen Novelties
For those products that don’t fit in the confines of ice pops or slushes, there are other factors that go into choosing the right natural color.
Fat-Based Coatings
To achieve a strong color that won’t bleed or fade, Sensient’s Microfine™ technology offers a highly stable way to use natural color in fat-based applications.
Colors for Dairy
and Non-Dairy Bases
When it comes to natural color in ice cream, frozen dairy treats, or nondairy frozen treats, choose sources that work well in higher pH systems. Uberbeet™, Marine Blue™, and Annatto are good choices. Sensient also offers dispersions in other color sources to blend perfectly in creamier bases.
A (Frozen) Rainbow of Colors for
Ice Pops, Slushes, and More
Reds & Pinks
Anthocyanins offer a wide range of pink and red natural colors that are water soluble and stable in acidic environments. Sensient offers powerful shades and key technologies to enhance hue and minimize off-notes like Pure-S™ Red.
Orange & Yellows
Beta carotene is a diverse natural color source that can produce many shades of yellow and orange. Though it is naturally oil soluble, Sensient offers AET™ technology that can make it work in any water-based application, too.
Purples, Greens, & Blues
Make blues and purples shine with sources like spirulina or butterfly pea flower extract, which is a novel color source from our team of experts at Sensient. Marine Blue™ is another innovation that can make spirulina more stable if needed. Natural greens can be achieved through a measured blend of natural blues and yellows.
Browns & Whites
If in need of a cocoa reducer or caramel replacer, look to Sensient’s Sienna™ natural brown portfolio. For titanium dioxide substitutes, we have Avalanche™ for a whitening or cloud agent. As colors come more under scrutiny by legislation, we want to offer you any solution you need for bringing your product to life – compliantly!
