Why are color additives used in foods?
Color is an important property of foods that adds to our enjoyment
of eating. Nature teaches is early to expect certain colors in
certain foods, and our future acceptance of foods is highly
dependent on meeting these expectations.
Color variation in foods throughout the seasons and the effects of
food processing and storage often require that manufacturers add
color to certain foods to meet consumer expectations. The primary
reasons of adding colors to foods include:
- To offset color loss due to exposure to light, air, extremes of
temperature, moisture and storage conditions.
- To correct natural variations in color. Off-colored foods are
often incorrectly associated with inferior quality. For example,
some tree-ripened oranges are often sprayed with Citrus Red No.2 to
correct the natural orangy-brown or mottled green color of their
peels (Masking inferior quality, however, is an unacceptable use of
colors.)
- To enhance colors that occur naturally but at levels weaker than
those usually associated with a given food.
- To provide a colorful identity to foods that would otherwise be
virtally colorless. Red colors provide a pleasant identity to
strawberry ice while lime sherbet is known by its bright green
color.
- To provide a colorful appearance to certain "fun foods." Many
candies and holiday treats are colored to create a festive
appearance.
- To protect flavors and vitamins that may be affected by sunlight
during storage.
- To provide an appealing variety of wholesome and nutritious
foods that meet consumers' demands.
Source: Excerpted from
FDA/IFIC brochure, January 1993: Food Color Facts
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