Sensient's Industry Insights - R&D
Creating deliciously colorful food and beverage products requires a rainbow of solutions. Sensient’s decades of work to expand the natural color rainbow make development work easier than ever. New innovations, advanced color technologies, and new color sources close gaps in the natural color rainbow to provide developers and brands with the solutions they need to delight consumers.
Sensient’s R&D team leverages a deep understanding of color and science combined with industry-leading agronomy advancements to identify opportunities to stabilize, optimize, enhance, and extend natural color solutions for our customers. Our cutting-edge color research and development work focuses on four pillars: novel color sources, stabilization and purification systems, particle size control, and cost-in-use and sustainability technologies.
Using these colorful innovations, you can now unleash the power of nature’s true colors with confidence.
Request a ConsultFrequently Asked Questions
How are natural food colors different from FD&C dyes?
- FD&C dyes are synthetically produced and designed specifically for their coloring function, making them extremely effective. There are strict specifications and robust batch testing conducted by the FDA for certification of quality and authenticity. On the other hand, natural colors are derived from sources such as fruits and vegetables, minerals, or algae. They are inherently limited to colors found in nature, and performance is largely dictated by the botanical or mineral source.
What is the shelf life of natural colors?
- Shelf life of natural colors varies by color format (liquids vs powders vs dispersions, etc.) and by botanical source. Technological advances can extend shelf lives, as can storage conditions such as refrigeration. Unlike many seemingly immortal synthetic dyes, typical natural color shelf lives are measured in months, not years. Talk to your color supplier if you have specific shelf life or storage needs.
Do natural colors need to be refrigerated?
- Some natural colors can be stored in ambient conditions, but others may require refrigeration to preserve and extend their shelf life.
Do natural food colors have off taste?
- Rumors of potential off flavors due to natural color products are often blown out of proportion, but advanced color technologies can mitigate any perceived off notes in end applications, particularly for strong botanicals like radish or paprika.
What color formats are available?
- Natural colors are available in multiple color formats, including liquids, powders, dispersions, and granular.
