Colour Glossary

“Natural Food Colours Association (NatCol) is an international non-profit organisation acting on behalf of the natural food colour and/or colouring foods industry. It represents the international interest of companies and associations providing natural food colours and / or colouring foods for the food and drink, but also feed, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. For more information, see https://natcol.org/

Natural food colours originate from a wide range of sources like vegetables, fruits, plants, minerals and other edible natural sources. They impart colour when added to food or drink. Natural food colours are preparations obtained from foods and other edible natural source materials obtained by physical and/or chemical extraction resulting in a selective extraction of the pigments relative to the nutritive or aromatic constituents. They come in many forms consisting of liquids, powders, gels, and pastes.

The Annatto plant produces small seeds that have a resinous coating, in which the major pigments bixin and norbixin are present.