Emerging and persistent issues with artificial food colours: natural colour additives as alternatives to synthetic colours in food and drink

Abstract

Introduction Natural colour additives are increasingly used as alternatives to synthetic colours in food and drink. This is partly a reaction to concerns on the safety of certain synthetic food colours by consumers and as a result of safety evaluations and industry requirements. Objectives This article provides an overview of the key scientific, technical, regulatory and socio-economic aspects of replacing synthetic food colorants with natural alternatives. Methods The different types of food colour additives are discussed with respect to their derivation, source materials and stability as well as the range of formulations designed to meet the technical demands of food manufacturer’s applications, regulatory compliance and safety evaluation. The socioeconomic impact of replacing synthetic colours with natural alternatives is discussed with reference to four case studies. An overview on available methods of analysis is also given. Conclusions Natural does not necessarily mean good or safe; hence natural colours have purity specifications, usage restrictions and maximum permitted levels in line with other food additives. Direct replacement of synthetic colours with natural alternatives is not always straightforward and requires development of technologies to cover the full range of colour/foodstuff combinations. As a result, a range of suitable extraction and analytical methods for determining added natural colours in food and drink are requisite. However, while methods are available for certain colours in source materials and specific foodstuffs, they are by no means comprehensive and further research is required to develop and validate suitable methods to cover the entire range of colour additives permitted in the EU.