Food Coloring: What It Is, Types, and How It Affects Your Food

Food coloring, colorant, or color additive refers to a dye, pigment, or substance used to give colors to various foods & beverages. The use of food coloring or food colorants is widespread for numerous industrial applications, including commercial products and domestic cooking.

Well! In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about food coloring, including its types, uses, regulations, importance, advantages, and health & safety considerations.

Food dyes or food colorants are most commonly used in a variety of non-food applications, ranging from cosmetics, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals to home craft projects. However, the safety of these food coloring or colorants is strictly regulated and monitored by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the safe usage of foods, beverages, and cosmetics. 

It’s the FDA that strictly regulates and approves these food colorings only when they meet its quality standards and safety guidelines. These color additives must meet US FDA standards and deliver top-notch quality and efficacy before they can be available to consumers. Let’s understand food coloring and its various aspects in more detail.

What is Food Coloring?

Food coloring, also known as color additive, or colorant is any dye, pigment, or substance used to provide color when added to certain foods or beverages. These colorants can be supplied in the form of gels, liquids, pastes, or powders.

As we already discussed, food coloring can be used in a variety of industrial applications, including foods, drugs, and cosmetics.

Importance of food coloring in food and beverage industries

The importance of synthetic dyes, food coloring, or food colorants can’t be ignored since they play an essential role in making the products more appealing and attractive. The food and beverage industries use food colorants or food coloring to create a unique brand identity, market their products, and enhance the appearance, safety, and nutritional value more efficiently. 

Moreover, it’s human nature that tends to be attracted to products that are more visually appealing, attractive, or colorful. The color of food and drink is an important sensory aspect that affects how consumers perceive its freshness, quality, and flavor. 

Additionally, food coloring will continue to play a role in the food and beverage industry and other sectors.

Types of Food Coloring

Food coloring can be classified based on natural food coloring and synthetic food coloring. Natural food coloring refers to a dye or colorant derived from natural sources such as fruits, vegetables, spices, algae, and other edible natural sources. These natural food colors are safe, eco-friendly, and healthy compared to synthetic food colorants.

Different types of food colorings are segmented based on their application, solubility, non-solubility, chemical composition, permeability, etc. However, they are expensive and don’t offer higher stability and longer shelf-life than synthetic dyes. 

The use of these food colorings is widespread in commercial food production and domestic cooking.

Natural food coloring: Benefits and Limitations

There’s no doubt that natural food coloring is safe, healthy, and environmentally friendly, but they have some limitations. Natural food coloring has poor stability and a short shelf life, making them not unsuitable for large production. 

Additionally, they require a large amount of good color to make the product visually appealing or attractive, which leads to increased costs. Thus, natural food coloring isn’t a good choice for large mass production. 

On the other hand, synthetic dyes or artificial food coloring are very strong and durable with a greater shelf life value and provide a more vibrant, bright color for your products. Synthetic dyes are widespread in a variety of industrial applications, including in food, drug, and cosmetics.

Synthetic Food Colorings

Synthetic dyes or synthetic food colorings refer to a large group of ingredients that are produced synthetically in a laboratory to add more vibrant, vivid, stable colors to various products, including food products, such as ice cream, candies, pastry, cake, cosmetic items such as nail polish, face cream, shampoos, soaps, and mouthwashes, and pharmaceutical products, like tablets, capsules, syrups, etc. 

Most synthetic dyes are manufactured from petrochemicals or non-renewable coal tar, which contain carcinogens that can cause mild irritation to the eyes, skin, or body if not taken care of properly. One of the greatest benefits of synthetic food coloring is that it can impart a more stark look with different hues and shades, making it best suitable for large production.

Common Synthetic Dyes Used for Food Coloring

Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 are some of the most common synthetic dyes widely used in food coloring. These synthetic dyes hold over 90% of the market in the USA, making them the top choice for coloring various food and beverage products.

Additionally, there are different types of synthetic dyes, including but not limited to:

• Fluorescent dyes
• Solvent dyes
• Reactive dyes
• Vat dyes
• Azo dyes
• Azoic dyes
• Acid dyes
• Direct dyes
• Basic dyes
• Disperse dyes
• Nitro dyes
• Sulfur dyes
• Oxidation dyes
• Mordant dyes
• Triarylmethane dyes
• Metal complex dyes
• Phthalocyanine dyes
• Naphthol dyes
• Anthraquinone dyes

Advantages and Disadvantages of Synthetic Dyes

Synthetic dyes are most commonly used in various industrial applications, including food & beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, home & personal care, etc. The main purpose of using synthetic dyes is to add color and make the product visually attractive and appealing to consumers’ eyes.

Here are the following advantages and concerns of synthetic dyes

Advantages of Synthetic Dyes

Here are the top benefits of synthetic dyes:

1. Cost-Efficiency

Synthetic dyes are cost-effective and can be easily found in the market. Due to its cost-effectiveness, synthetic dyes are the most preferred form of dyes used for large production in different industrial applications.

2. Color

One of the greatest advantages of synthetic dyes is that they are capable of producing more vibrant, vivid, and bright colors with different hues and shades to make the desired product aesthetically appealing.

3. Ease of use

Synthetic dyes or synthetic food colorings are pretty easy to use and can be found easily.

4. Fastness 

When it comes to fastness, synthetic dyes offer greater fastness and higher color stability compared to natural dyes.

Disadvantages of Synthetic Dyes

Generally, synthetic dyes provide numerous benefits, but there are some concerns regarding the environmental and health risks if not taken care of or not used as directed on the label.

Use of food coloring

The use of synthetic dyes or food coloring is widespread for a variety of applications in different industry verticals, from food & beverage, drugs, and cosmetics to home & personal care products.

The main purpose of adding these food colorings is to provide more vibrant, vivid colors to products, making them more appealing, appetizing, and informative. 

Additionally, they can also be used to:

• To provide color to different products 
• To enhance the visual appearance of products
• To improve the palatable value of a product
• To reduce drug counterfeiting
• To create unique brand marketing 

Uses of Food Coloring in Culinary Applications

The use of food coloring is widely accepted in culinary applications, including food & beverages, confectionery items such as ice cream, yogurt, cake, pastry, baking, cooking, candies, and various other food products.

These food colors add a greater value to the product by making them more appealing and attractive to consumers. 

Uses of Food Coloring in Non-Food Products

Synthetic food colorings are widely certified and approved for use in a variety of non-food products, ranging from drugs and cosmetics to personal care products. These food colorants are most commonly used to color various medicines, syrups, tablets, and capsules.

Regulations and Safety

The FDA follows stringent safety rules and regulations for the use of artificial food dyes or synthetic dyes to ensure the safety and efficacy of products more efficiently. Any synthetic dyes need to be certified and approved or permitted for use in desired applications by the US FDA and the EFSA.

However, research suggests that synthetic dyes may cause some irritation or behavior problems in children if used excessively or in large quantities. Furthermore, some studies found it to worsen hyperactivity in children, including children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but it was in rare cases and because of large consumption. 

The FDA strictly governs synthetic dyes to ensure they are used properly and meet quality standards. Therefore, it is mandatory for foods containing certain synthetic dyes to carry a warning label for children in Europe.

Overview of Regulatory Bodies (e.g., FDA, EFSA)

The FDA and EFSA both are regulatory bodies that highly take care of food safety concerns and related issues to ensure the desired products meet their rigorous testing, safety measurements, and quality standards. The US FDA regulates food, drugs, and cosmetics with enforcement power and direct regulation.

The EFSA is part of the EU’s legislative framework on food safety and health, providing a scientific adviser and risk assessment for food-related matters. Food, drugs, medicines, cosmetics, biologics, animal feed and drugs, and radiation emitting devices that fall under the US FDA regulatory. 

While EFSA focuses on animal health and welfare, food and feed safety, nutrition, and plant health & protection.

Safety Assessments and Approvals for Food Colorings

When it comes to safety assessments and approvals for food colorings, The US FDA and EFSA strictly regulate and monitor the user of food colors or food colorings to ensure consumer safety.

In the United States, Europe, and Japan, food colorants have been identified and evaluated under international recommendations described by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). 

All three countries require a great deal of data including specific guidelines that specify what information is needed for risk assessment and safety of food colorants. These regulations greatly emphasize the safety assessments of these food colorings to ensure consumer safety.

Debates around synthetic dyes and potential health risks

There is a great debate about synthetic dyes, including their safety and potential health risks. Research suggests that synthetic food dyes can pose a few behavioral issues in children, allergies, and respiratory disorders, however, these disorders occur in a few cases and only when they are not used properly. 

There is disagreement over whether synthetic food dyes are harmful and pose some serious health risks, but other experts say that if used properly and accurately, they cause no adverse side effects. 

Last but not least, regulatory agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have certified, approved, and permitted synthetic dyes for their safe applications, but they must be used as per the regulations and in proper amount.

How Synthetic Dyes Are Made?

In ancient times, synthetic food dyes were derived originally from coal tar, but thanks to technological advances they are now produced from petroleum. At present, synthetic dyes are derived from different chemicals and chemical reactions in a laboratory with state-of-the-art facilities.

Dyes obtained this way tend to be more expensive, have better optical properties (with greater purity and accuracy color), and are more durable (fastness, mordancy).

Trends in Color

Products with minimal ingredients and highly recognizable seem to be the most popular trend for 2024. These latest color trends align both synthetic colorants and natural colors, providing more vibrant and vivid colors with great combination.

The popularity of this color trend is expected to drive innovation in the color industry, encouraging color manufacturers to focus on producing similar products.

Additionally, “Peach Fuzz is the Pantone color of the year for 2024, a joyful color that promotes and supports health and joy! This color has influenced a variety of industries, including food and beverages, cosmetics, and more.

Why Choose Synthetic Dyes over Natural Dyes?

Synthetic dyes provide several advantages, including cost-effectiveness and greater stability and durability than natural dyes. The following are the main reasons you should choose synthetic dyes over natural dyes: 

1. Versatility

One of the greatest benefits of synthetic dyes is that they can be used widely for a variety of industrial applications, including food, drugs, cosmetics, home & personal care, textile and plastics, and much more. At the same time, the use of natural dyes is limited to certain foods and home applications.  

2. Color

Synthetic dyes tend to provide a comprehensive range of vibrant, bright colors that offer high permeability, stability, and greater resistance to heat, light, or sun exposure, leading to an increased shelf life of a product. On the other hand, natural dyes can’t offer brighter colors with various hues and shades.

3. Cost

Synthetic dyes are highly cost-effective and easily available making them the choice for large-scale production processes. Natural dyes as they are derived from natural resources result in higher cost of production, making them more expensive than artificial dyes. 

4. Application 

It’s pretty easy to stick synthetic dyes on fabrics easily and they don’t lose pigmentation after the application. Natural dyes often fade away and lose the pigmentation after some time.

What Are the 7 FDA-Approved Foods Dyes?

In the United States, the US FDA has approved and permitted the use of 7 synthetic colorants or synthetic food colorings, including: 

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

Conclusion

In the bottom line, the use of food coloring, colorants, or coloring agents is broadly approved and permitted for a variety of applications, such as food, drugs, and cosmetics as well as other applications as we discussed above.

Hence, food coloring is not only used to impart color to make the product visually appealing but also to help businesses create their unique brand. 

Are you a business in need of quality synthetic dyes or food colorings for your industrial applications, get in touch with us today! We are a reputed manufacturer and exporter of supreme quality synthetic dyes and pigments used in different industries, including foods, drugs, cosmetics, and home & personal care products. Don’t be shy, contact us today!