Replacement Strategies for Caramel Coloring
Increasingly, more of our customers are asking us to help them remove caramel color from their current formulations. Sensient consumer research indicates about 51% of the general population are concerned with the presence of caramel coloring in their everyday foods and beverages. This uneasiness most likely stems from negative publicity around Caramel Class III and IV. Since ingredient lists do not differentiate between any of the Classes I-IV, consumers just seem to avoid the color altogether. Additionally, there seems to be some controversy over caramel coloring amongst regulatory bodies. To avoid uncertainty, food and beverage brands are proactively choosing to replace caramel color with an alternative option. A Look at Caramel Coloring As caramel is one of the most widely used colorants, the intent to replace is prevalent across a broad range of applications, including cereal, cookies, certain breads and deli meats, beverages like teas, coffees, and soda, pet food, alcoholic beverages, bakery mixes, soups and sauces, etc. While caramel has low tinctorial strength, the high usage rate typically required is offset by the low cost. Additionally, caramel has other attractive features including:- Very good heat stability
- Few off-notes that restrict usage level
- Stable color across a wide pH range
- Exceptionally good light stability