Making Natural Color for Dairy Applications Work for You
Got milk? The mighty dairy industry is strong and shows no sign of slowing down.
98% of US adults consume dairy products, and 60% of those have no interest in looking for dairy-free alternatives (Mintel 2023) In fact, the once-buzzy dairy-free trend has taken a hit in recent years, as consumers embrace real cow’s milk and products.
There has been a decline in total dairy alternative product launches relative to 2019, with a significant drop in 2023. For instance, the percentage of dairy alternative launches was 5.80% in Q1/Q2 2023, compared to 10.19% in Q3/Q4 2022.
MINTEL 2023
Despite the decline of the dairy-free craze, it is still a notable portion of the market, and the majority of dairy-free products follow similar development “rules” to traditional dairy from a color perspective.
An embracement of dairy is coupled with a rising preference for natural ingredients- including color – in food and drink products of all kinds.
For dairy brands, there is a huge opportunity in the market to create products that align with consumers’ love for dairy, demand for interesting product innovation, and desire to avoid artificial coloring ingredients.
40% of consumers in 2024 say “all natural” claims are important when choosing food and drink products, up from 34% in 2023.
MINTEL 2024
Oh, The Places Dairy Will Go
Milk
Though milk can present a variety of colorful product options, it also faces certain considerations with its high pH, light exposure in packing, and typical need for ultra-high temperature processing and pasteurization. Highly stable colors are needed to survive the lifecycle of milk products.
Yogurt
Given the many flavors and varieties of yogurt, color can be key in creating interest and appeal. Like milk, yogurt has challenges surrounding pH and pasteurization. Ingredients like probiotics and added vitamins should be taken into consideration, too.
Ice Cream
Ice cream and other frozen treats are easier to work with in terms of natural color application. Less stringent processing, opaque packing, and color-preserving frozen nature means that these products are more hospitable to a range of color options.
Cream Cheeses, Dips, and Spreads
When it comes to flavorful dips and spreads, color can help tie in flavor profiles and provide a satisfying taste experience. Acidity, base ingredients, heat processing, and any whitening agents can help color experts determine the right natural color selection.
Cheese
Natural color in cheese can be key to getting the right flavor profile impression, whether it’s a rich cheddar or light Gouda. Solubility and any processing conditions should be factored into color choices.
Keeping Color Stable: Confectionery Considerations
Acidity
Most dairy applications will need to have color that can withstand higher pH levels. Anthocyanins, for example, would not be ideal as they typically perform better in low pH settings. Some colors like our novel color source – butterfly pea flower extract – will shift shades depending on the acidity levels, too.
Heat
Many dairy products, especially milk, undergo UHT processing that natural color must be able to withstand. Beet is heat sensitive and might not be the most ideal option here, but something like Sensient’s heat-stable Watermelon-Rose™ is perfect for a Red 3 replacement in strawberry milk and would work much better. Both time under heat and total temperature should be taken into consideration.
Light Exposure
Milks and other dairy drinks are typically stored in clear or transparent packaging. Natural colors that are sensitive to light such as turmeric could be subject to degradation. Products in opaque containers are less likely to see color changes from light. Our customer lab can work with you to figure out the perfect solution for any dairy application that will withstand light.
Solubility
Much of the dairy family contains fats or oils. For natural colors that are inherently either water- or oil-soluble, dispersion or emulsion might be necessary for the color to be distributed throughout the application evenly and without separation. To help solve solubility issues, our innovative AET™ technology can combine multiple emulsions into a single, stable color system.
Regulatory changes
As colors like caramel and titanium dioxide come under heavy scrutiny via new regulations like Prop 65, developers can look to natural alternatives like Sensient’s Sienna™ or Avalanche™ portfolios to achieve the right shade match while staying in compliance.
A World of Natural Color Solutions for Dairy
Reds & Pinks
For red, lycopene can be a great option in high-pH dairy; for a more classic Strawberry Milk pink shade, Watermelon-Rose™ is a more stable alternative, too. Beet-based options like Sensient’s highly stable SupraRed™ work for pinks and reds in lower water applications like ice creams, even under heat processing. For bright pink, carmine is a very stable option.
Blues
Sensient offers many options for the pervasive blue in food and drink. Spirulina is a blue option for low-water dairy products like ice cream. Sensient’s Marine Blue™ portfolio can provide more stable options for a similar shade of blue when spirulina won’t work. Our novel butterfly pea flower extract is also blue in higher pH applications and can better withstand water content for drinks and yogurts.
Greens
Sensient’s natural green shades in dairy are possible with our unique natural blue shades. We can provide manufacturers with individual blue and yellow components to make green shades or through our advanced blending capabilities, Sensient can offer a single delivery system of greens too. Depending on the warmth or coolness of the green needed, there are many ways to get the right result.
Oranges & Yellows
For cheese-flavored dairy, annatto is a great way to get the perfect shade of orange for cheddar. Sensient offers an array of orange and yellow emulsion blends and our Pure-S™ Paprika is also an excellent bright orange shade option. Turmeric works for yellow, but typically only when light exposure is a non-issue.
Browns
To strike the right chocolate or caramel impressions, Sensient has proprietary clean-label natural brown options like Sienna™ and Sienna™ blends. Those highly stable colors can be used in almost any dairy application to get the intended shade of brown.
Whites
Sensient’s Avalanche™ portfolio has options designed specifically with dairy in mind, so that white and whitening agents can withstand whatever processing they go through. Whether it’s milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, or something else, there’s an Avalanche™ to make it work.
Level Up Color in Dairy with Innovation
Pure-S™
When certain high-flavor natural colors like Paprika are used, Sensient offers advanced purification and emulsion that eliminates the risk of any off-notes from color ingredients.
Dispersion
A dispersion is the suspension of insoluble color particles in a variety of liquid systems. Dispersions make it easier and faster for color to be mixed into applications like ice cream bases, frozen treats, and dairy spreads.
Microfine™ & Simplifine™
Standard water-soluble colors are incompatible with oil-based applications like many dairy products. The Microfine™ technology bridges this gap to provide vibrant natural colors across the whole rainbow that tackle issues like bleeding or dullness. Simplifine™ provides developers with a preservative-free, clean carrier alternative to Microfine™ if needed.
