colourlist

List of our natural colours

Annatto
Anthocyanins
Carmine
Caratenoids
Chlorophyl
Circumin
Hibiscus
Lutein
Lycopene
Paprika
Red Beet

"Generally, a natural color is one from a natural source and is minimally processed to achieve a stable product in a usable form, avoiding other synthetic ingredients." says Jeff Greaves,a food scientist in the USA in 2008
Natural sources from which colour pigments can be harvested include vegetables, minerals or animal sources.These raw materials are processed into water soluble, oil soluble and powder forms which can be used by the manufacturer. Amidst health concerns over the use of synthetic colours as food additives,the quest for finding more sources of natural colour pigments are growing. Requests for natural colours are from organic-, health-, nutraceutical and therapeutic, medicinal and across the board, food manufacturers. Many of the natural colours have value added nutritional benefits.
Natural colours are less stable than synthetic colours to oxidation, heat, light and pH but emulsification and encapsulation are two techniques that have increased the stability of natural colours. 'Natural' as it pertains to food colours, has not yet been legally defined and has no universally accepted definition. A percentage of people experience sensitivity or allergic reactions to some natural colourants such as cochineal. Consumer groups advocate detailed listing of specific colourants on food labels.

List of synthetic and nature-identical colours

Black
Brown Colour Range
Blue to Purple Spectrum
Green to Lime to Yellow Green Range
Yellows and Orange Colours
Red Range: Strawberry Pinks to Cherry Reds

A concentrated measure of flavour combined with a suitable colour.

Apricot Flavour/Colour
Banana Flavour/Colour
Bun Spice Flavour/Colour
Chocolate Flavour/Colour
Lemon Flavour/Colour
Mango Flavour/Colour
Orange Flavour/Colour
Passion fruit Flavour/Colour
Peach Flavour/Colour
Pumpkin Flavour/Colour
Raspberry Flavour/Colour
Strawberry Flavour/Colour
Caramel Flavour/Colour

Nature Identical colours are those which are synthetically produced to create a pigment identical to that which may occur naturally from mineral or animal sources.

Synthetic colours do not add anything to the nutritional value of the food. Synthetic colours (Azo dyes) are derived from chemicals as coal-tar derivatives. For many years in the health industry,synthetic colours have been linked to allergies, food intolerance and sensitivity and learning difficulties.