Cheryl Walker Analytical Development Technologist Britvic Soft Drinks
Natural colours - some thoughts on the challenges they bring and mitigating factors to protect product from change and shortened shelf life. An example of positive interaction between ingredients. Using packaging to protect vulnerable products
Natural colours and light Minimising potential changes across shelf life Ensuring that the natural colour you launch with is the same as the one you developed your product with Sugar and colour stability Packaging a means of maintaining product quality Summary Conclusion
There is no legal definition of a natural colour EU regulations make no distinction between pigments of natural origin and man made colours. There are colouring foods however and these are non selectively extracted concentrates traditionally used as foodstuffs which impart colour when used as an ingredient
Anthocyanins Black carrot Highly coloured juices -grape juice, Raspberry, Blackcurrant, Cherry Carotenoids Lycopene, Beta carotene Chlorophylls copper chlorophyllin, plant extracts
They are a whole food natural matrix Ratio of pigment to other constituents must remain the same as in the parent material. Can impart flavours Stability varies Crop to crop variability Formation of Hazes
Vulnerable to fading Formation of haze Browning Interaction with other ingredients Oxidative damage
Consumers like them They are associated with more healthy products They give a better fit with the drive toward clean label Natural colours are fast becoming the default option for food products They have the potential to add health benefits
Effects of light Fading changes the balance of the hue Speeds up browning Affects interactions of natural ingredients Can cause products to look stale Off flavours may arise
Mainly bitter/vegetable/earthy notes Have an acceptable sensory profile for the material included in specification. Control with use of shelf life specification and good stock control of raw material. Use appropriate storage Use of antioxidants
Optimise the amount of colour used in the formulation Use blends of colours -vegetable derived colours are more stable than those from fruit Have alternate formulations Use smart packaging Opaque packaging
Carbonation -the effects of light include the acceleration of oxidative breakdown so carbon dioxide helps stabilise the product colour. Reducing the amount of dissolved oxygen in the product. Using nitrogen when filling
The addition of sugar has a stabilising effect The sugar can be present in fruit juice apple and grape juices for example Juices contain varying amounts of antioxidants and this also had a protective effect The addition of ascorbic acid to product coloured with anthocyaninswill cause fading but will slow browning in carotenoids.
Laboratory scale trial products are an opportunity to test new colours and ingredient combinations -they are typically small batches of between 10 and 50 litres Test batches of colour submitted by suppliers are often especially made at laboratory scale Scaling up to production levels can mean that the resulting colour is similar but not quite the same..
Lack of standards -Bench marking Specifications define the material Technical brief Sensory testing Storage trials that cover all of the potential conditions the product is likely to be exposed to during shelf life
Global supply chain Agricultural cycle Good relationships with suppliers Communication Alternate formulations Flexible development
Cans Opaque Minimal headspace Good oxygen and light barrier properties Maximum shelf life Low cost
Glass Good gas barrier Colour gives improved light barrier properties Opaque plastic sleeves Choice of closures Premium packaging
PET Versatile Most widely used packaging for soft drinks Can be coloured Poor gas barrier but multi-layered bottles overcome this Light protective layers
Cartons Minimal headspace Aseptic filling Very good light barrier Very good oxygen barrier Minimal headspace
Foil pouches Multi-layered Flexible Minimal headspace Very good light barrier Good oxygen barrier
The increasing use of colouring foods has driven the development of more stable materials The choice of packaging format coupled with the variety of smart packaging materials offers the best means of preserving colour in product across shelf life Sugar in product is an example of the beneficial interaction between ingredients
Optimising the protection of naturally coloured soft drinks against light damage to give the maximum shelf life is a balance of ingredient formulation and pack choice
Thank you for your attention any questions?