Comparitive Guide: Natural food colors vs Synthetic food colors

Food colors, colorings, or colorants are most commonly used in foods and beverages, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. There are two types of food coloring or food colors: natural food colors and artificial food colors, each comes with its benefits and disadvantages. Well! Here we will talk about natural food colors vs synthetic food colors and explore the pros and cons of both types of food colorings.

Food colors are widely popular for use in a variety of industrial and domestic applications, including coloring foods, tablets, cosmetics, plastics, home and personal care products, and more. Natural food colors are colorants derived from natural sources, such as plants, trees, vegetables, fruits, etc. Synthetic food colors are produced from coal tar or petroleum-based chemicals in a well-crafted laboratory environment. 

Both natural food colors and synthetic food colors have their advantages and disadvantages and tend to have unique human perceptions based on health concerns, safety, and authority regulations. Let’s dive deeper to understand the difference between natural food colors and synthetic food colors. 

Before we dig deeper into the debate about natural food colors vs synthetic food colors, let’s understand the food coloring first.

What is food coloring?

Food coloring, colorants, or coloring agents refer to any dye or pigment used in the production of food & beverage products. Food coloring is commonly used to impart color to food items with different hues and shades, making the product more appealing and attractive to consumers. 

Whether you’re a business or an individual, it’s important to know everything about food coloring to get a better understanding. The primary purpose of food coloring is to improve the visual appearance of a product. Additionally, food coloring helps enhance palatable value, reduce drug counterfeiting, correct dosage forms, and improve marketing efforts when branding products.

What is natural food color?

Natural food colorings refer to those colors, colorants, or coloring agents that are produced from natural sources, including plants, vegetables, greens, animals, or minerals. Natural food colors are often considered healthier and safer alternatives to synthetic food dyes. However, these colors are not always safe and healthier since some natural alternatives aren’t rigorously tested and regulated.

Natural food colorants have been used to impart colors to various foods and beverages for decades. These colors are typically derived with boiling, juicing, and crushing, making them more pure and safe. Spinach extract (green), beetroot extract (red), turmeric (yellow), and anthocyanins from berries (blue and purple) are a few examples of natural food colors.

What is synthetic food color?

Synthetic/artificial food colors are those colors, colorants, or coloring agents derived from complex chemical reactions, such as coal tar, hydrocarbons, sulfur ions, and nitrogen. With the emergence of innovative technologies, synthetic food dyes are produced from crude oil or petroleum. 

Synthetic food colors or color additives are used to increase the aesthetic appeal of a product to make it more appealing and attractive. Compared to natural food colors, synthetic food colors are more cost-efficient, durable, and stable. Synthetic food colorants can easily be found in various forms, including liquid, gel, powder, etc.

Popular Natural Food Colors Used in Foods & Beverages

Chlorophyllin (E140, E141), Carotenoids (E160, E161, E164), betanin (E162), and anthocyanins (E163) are the main categories of plant pigments most commonly used to color food and beverage items. These color groups further include other food colorants or specialed derivates, namely: 

• Carmine (E120), a red dye produced from the Dactylopius coccus, a cochineal insect 
• Caramel coloring (E150a-d), produced from caramelized sugar
• Annatto (E160b), a reddish-orange dye produced from the achiote seed
• Turmeric/curcumin (E100)
• Paprika (E160c)
• Lycopene (E160d)
• Elderberry juice (E163)

Popular Synthetic Food Colors Used in Food & Beverages

Synthetic food dyes or colorants require certifications and approvals from regulatory bodies and legal authorities before being made available for use to customers. US FDA is the regulatory authority that regulates synthetic food dyes to ensure safety concerns. They have approved and permitted artificial food dyes for commercial and domestic applications. These popular synthetic dyes are: 

• FD&C Yellow No. 5: Tartrazine, E102 (provides yellow shade)
• FD&C Yellow No. 6: Sunset yellow FCF, E110 (imparts orange shade)
• FD&C Green No. 3: Fast green FCF, E143 (produces turquoise shade)
• FD&C Blue No. 1: Brilliant blue FCF, E133 (gives blue shade)
• FD&C Blue No. 2: Indigotine, E132 (offers indigo shade)
• FD&C Red No. 3: Erythrosine, E127 (provides pink shade)
• FD&C Red No. 40: Allura red AC, E129 (gives red shade)

Now that you understand the basics of natural food colors and synthetic food colors, let’s dive deeper into the comparison of natural food colors and synthetic food colors.

Natural Food Colors vs Synthetic Food Colors

What is the difference between natural food colors and synthetic food colors? Are you still wondering how natural food colors differ from artificial food colors? Here are some important differences and detailed comparisons that make natural food colors different from artificial food colors.

How They Are Made?

The source of production is the main difference between natural food colors and artificial food colors. Natural food colors are derived from naturally occurring ingredients, such as plants, trees, vegetables, animals, and minerals.

On the other hand, synthetic food dyes are produced from coal tar and petroleum-based chemicals, including azo, triphenylmethane, xanthene, and indigoid dyes.

What is the Cost?

Natural dyes or colors are derived naturally and are way more expensive due to limited natural resources, such as plants, trees, and vegetables. Synthetic dyes are cost-effective and can be easily found in the market due to their mass production and broader availability. 

Due to the cost factor, natural dyes are not readily available and are often used in limited applications. Furthermore, the use of artificial food dyes is best suitable for large-scale production.

What is the Lifespan?

When it comes to comparing natural food dyes with artificial food colors, they often tend to have poor lifespan and fade away after a certain period. Synthetic dyes, on the other hand, provide greater shelf life and don’t fade away or lose their appearance after the application. 

These properties make synthetic dyes the best choice for various industrial applications, including food, drugs, and cosmetics.

Bright Colors

There are several factors that affect the overall color consistency and intensity of natural food dyes due to their limited sources, growing conditions, and extraction techniques. Natural food colors tend to produce more eco-friendly, muted, and earthy tones than artificial colors. 

On the contrary, synthetic food colors provide bright, more vibrant colors with different shades, hues, and fine tones compared to natural ones. With synthetic food colors, businesses can easily achieve different colors while this is not the case with natural dyes.

Safety and Regulation: Natural food colors vs synthetic food colors

There’s no doubt that natural colors are healthier and often the good choice for most consumers out there. However, not all natural colors are always safe and much healthier as they are not regulated and monitored by the regulatory authorities. So, it can also be a safety concern when it comes to labeling & packaging of natural food colors. 

On the other hand, synthetic food colors are certified and approved under a rigorous testing procedure to meet the quality standards set by the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The use of synthetic dyes is generally safe when used properly and within limits as labeled on the packet.

Which is better: Natural food colors vs synthetic food colors?

The choice between natural and synthetic food colors solely depends on various factors and considerations, including individual needs, product requirements, and the expectations of the audiences you target. Both natural and synthetic food colors are safe to consume when used properly and in moderation. 

While natural colors are popular due to their potential health concerns and benefits, synthetic food dyes have become more popular due to their capability to provide brighter, stable colors for many food and beverages and processed food items. 

If you are a household looking to add some extra color to your home products, natural colors might be the best option for you. On the other hand, synthetic colors are the go-to choice for businesses and large industrial applications, including food, drugs, cosmetics as well as domestic use.

Conclusion

In the bottom line, it can be said that both natural food colors and synthetic food colors have their pros and cons and offer significant value to each application. Synthetic food colors are known for their ability to provide more bright, vibrant colors for a variety of applications, including food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics while natural food colors are growing due to their various health benefits. 

Both food colorants are safe when used in moderation and as directed by the regulatory body. However, the choice of which one is better depends on the user preferences, likes, product needs, and application types. 

Are you a business in need of quality food colorants that add greater value to your product and enhance your marketing efforts, get in touch with us today! We are a reputed manufacturer and exporter of superior quality food colors, pharmaceutical colors, and cosmetic colors used in various industrial applications. 

For more information on a wide range of synthetic dyes or pigments we produce at our manufacturing facility, contact our chem experts today.