New Blue Makes a Clean Label Splash
The Market Needs New Blues
Naturalness is the topic of the year for many in the food and beverage industry.
With the FDA’s announcement that FD&C Red 3 will no longer be an approved color additive starting in 2027, attacks on synthetic colors across the board have gained new prominence.
The focus now turns to conversion, highlighting any gaps that still exist in the natural rainbow.
FD&C Blue 1 has long been the blue-ribbon winner for unique bright blue hues across food and beverage applications.
Globally, the number of beverage launches using Blue 1 has more than doubled over the past five years with consistent year-over-year increases. MINTEL 2025
However, with many manufacturers facing conversion to natural colors, many developers have been feeling the blues without a water-stable natural FD&C Blue 1 alternative.
That long-awaited solution has now arrived:
Introducing:
Marine Blue™ Capri!
Until now, there has been a need for a low pH, light-stable bright blue in the beverage segment to provide a natural replacement for Blue 1.
With Marine Blue™ Capri, the sky (blue) is no longer the limit in beverages!
Marine Blue™ Capri is a bright, clear blue in low pH beverage applications that could be combined with yellows or reds to achieve greens or purples.
This trailblazing clean label blue solution is unique for a wide range of beverages with acidic conditions, closing a major gap in the natural rainbow.
Marine Blue™ Capri is designed for optimal performance in ready-to-drink beverage applications like carbonated soft drinks, sports drinks, juices, flavored waters, low ABV alcoholic beverages, and more! Low pH salad dressings and similar condiments may also see improved success compared to standard spirulina and other blues.
Flavor profiles like blueberry, blue raspberry, grape, mint, lime, green apple, kiwi, melon, mojito, and blackberry will all benefit from a new blue solution in beverages.
Beats the (Other) Blues
Marine Blue™ Capri is a vibrant, stable blue shade in applications with low pH and exposure to light, exhibiting minimal precipitation in end products.
Compared to other blues, it is an answer long needed by beverage developers.
Butterfly Pea Flower Extract
Butterfly pea flower extract offers bold blues in higher pH conditions, but in low pH imbues unique purple hues. Click here to explore purple for beverages.
Huito
Huito provides a different, less bright shade, closer to a denim or a blue-gray.
Gardenia
Gardenia provides a less vibrant shade as well, and it is not permitted for use in the United States or Canada.
Spirulina-based Solutions
Other spirulina-based solutions have been successfully developed for bright blues in different applications, such as Marine Blue™ and Marine Blue™ Azure, as well as Blue Microfine™ and dispersions.
A groundbreaking innovation for natural color, Marine Blue™ Capri stands alone to offer an acid- and water-stable Blue 1 replacement.
