Classification of Food Colors: When To Use And Ways To Use Food Coloring
It is common for us to be amazed by the eye-catching food pictures we see on social media, often thinking about how they did it. There is no shortage of delightfully adorable cake pops and the picture-perfect Ombre cake for guests to enjoy, but these pastries are even more exquisite because food dyes or food colorings have been used to make them.
It is easy to find many kinds of food colorings on the market today, but sometimes we get confused about what to use them for on frosting and dough, and sometimes they have to be thrown away. Therefore, you need to be aware of food colorings that are classified as either Natural, Synthetic, or Inorganic dye before we go through a list of them.
In this article, we will talk about the classification of food colorings and break them down to understand which type of food colors you should use on your food items and how to use them with step-by-step guides. Let’s dive in!
When To Use Food Coloring?
The very first question is why we need food coloring? Are they necessary to add to your food? The primary reason is that specific colors correspond to specific tastes and flavors. Food colorings help to influence the perceived flavor in everything from dips to soups and candies to wine.
In most cases, food coloring is added to stimulate the natural color of your dish. For example - if you make a pistachio frosting, although it’s not green enough. That is why you may require to add a few drops of food coloring to make it more appealing. The same can be applied when you make orange custard and so on.
It is a practice to use color additives in foods to enhance their appeal and appeal to consumers. So, coloring your batter, frosting, buttercream, and the dough is a fantastic way to have fun in your kitchen and make baked goods more personalized to consumers.
Classifications of Food colorings
Food coloring is mainly classified based on natural and synthetic dye. Let’s take a look at different types of food colorings used in the food and beverage industry, including:
Food Coloring (Liquid Dye)
Liquid-dye food coloring is an inexpensive option to go. It is the best to use when you need a lighter tint. It requires a few bottles to create a stable, rich, and vibrant color with large desserts such as cakes. A small drop of pastel filling is all you need to make these dreamy cream wafers.
Liquid food coloring is made of synthetic dye with a water base. It is sold in smaller plastic squeeze bottles, which the novice can use to add as many drops as needed until the desired hue is achieved.
Liquid Gel Dye
Just like traditional liquid dye food coloring, Liquid gel dye includes synthetic coloring with a base of water, glycerin, or corn syrup. It is sold in small dropper bottles similar to plain liquid dyes. However, the similarity between these two products can be limited here.
Liquid gel dye is much thicker and gel-like when squeezed out of its bottle. The dye is highly concentrated, so a little goes a long way even if it is used in a small amount. This type of food coloring is best suitable for creating vivid colors.
Liquid gel dye is not readily available compared to the traditional liquid dye and sometimes can be hard to find, which is the downside of liquid gel dye. Liquid gel dye has a thick consistency, making it difficult to spread into doughs. If you plan on making homemade candies, you can use them for icing only.
Gel Paste Dye
If you're looking to give a large batch of batter a bold appearance, you're likely only to find this concentrated gel in a specialty store. Just like liquid gel dye, gel paste dye is also made out of synthetic coloring with a base of water, glycerin, or corn syrup. It is often packaged in small pots or jars in the form of gel or paste.
Due to the thick consistency of gel paste dyes, it is best to add very small amounts to what you're coloring at a time using a toothpick. Those worried about messy cleanups, those with clumsy hands, or those with young children are recommended to use this product since its liquid components can spill and splatter.
Warning: if you are not sure how deep you would like your color to look, this can not be the best option for you as it doesn’t allow different trials and errors. Since gel paste dye has a semi-solid consistency, it can be hard to work into a dough.
Natural food colorings
Natural food colorings are a perfect choice for those who want to acquire clear synthetic dyes as they are free from any type of glycerin or corn syrup. However, natural food colorings are hard to locate. On the other hand, you can easily find and order them online or you can find a specialty store near your place. They are often available in small dropper bottles and plant sources are the main sources of their availability in different colors.
For example, saffron or turmeric is used for getting a yellow color, carrot juice for giving an orange color, and beets to make red tones. A small drop of natural food coloring is sufficient to produce vibrant colors. Natural food colorings are considered the best methods for acquiring a subtle, earthy hue.
Powdered dye
Powdered dyes refer to a type of dye that is made out of synthetic coloring with no water, glycerin, or corn syrup. They’re sold in jars in the form of complete dry powder. Powder dyes can be used in different ways such as adding a small amount of the powder to your dry mixture or mixing it with a few drops of clear alcohol for acquiring a paint-like consistency.
You can further use it on foods to create a smooth and gentle finish. Powdered dye is highly recommended for use in recipes that are highly sensitive to any added liquid, for example, chocolate or macarons. But if used sparingly, this powder dye can produce a very dark color on the material it is applied to.
How much food coloring is required?
Generally, if you are not sure how much food coloring you will need to color your food, you should start by adding a small drop at a time, mixing it well, then letting it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before repeating or pouring the next small drop. It is always not the best to rush and add multiple drops at the same time to avoid color failure. Adding a drop one by one can help you achieve the desired color that you want to have on your food items effectively.
When should you add the food colors?
Food and beverage manufacturers use color as one of their most important sensory properties. Food colors give consumers an immediate sense of freshness, taste, and quality of a product. Colors directly affect the consumer's purchasing decision about the product and encourage them to decide on any that looks more attractive.
According to research, it takes people only 3-7 seconds to make their purchase decision about the product. Therefore, businesses need to capture customers’ attention to products within that short amount of time. In addition, another research reveals that more than 90% of consumers make their purchase after seeing the product's color and creating a perception about its taste.
Furthermore, colors help to protect vitamins and flavors that can be affected by sunlight during storage. It is possible to perceive flavor based on the color of food.
To prevent the damage to the look and feel of a color
To protect flavor and light-sensitive vitamins while storing the product
To bring color uniformity to food products that may differ in color
To strengthen the colors of a particular food
To preserve the identity of a product
To act as a visual sign of quality
Suitable food colors for bakery products and ways to use them
We have already discussed the best-suited food colors used for bakery products and other food and beverage items, so now take a look at the ways to use them:
1. Choose a package of liquid food dye to add light color
You probably have seen a small package of liquid food dye available in grocery stores. The package that comes at a low cost contains a non-toxic bottle of synthetic red, blue, green, and yellow dye. You can mix these dyes to make your color for dying food products, especially when you would like a pale or pastel color.
In case you want to achieve a deep color, you may need to use liquid dye in a large amount to change the texture of your food.
2. Choose Gel Paste to create a rich-in-quality color
Gel paste is another form of synthetic dye blended with water, glycerine, and corn syrup for achieving a highly concentrated and thick paste. You can take a small pot of gel paste for obtaining a little dye to go a long way.
Paste gel can easily be found in cooking stores, craft supply stores, or online. Always buy food-safe gel paste that is labeled as non-toxic. Be aware that gel paste can be pretty messy to work compared to liquid dye.
3. Get a powdered dye for various applications
The next step is to get jars of powdered dye from craft supply stores. Since they are not mixed with water, glycerine, or corn syrup, it has long durability and is perfect to add to your food that you don't like to mix. Powder dye also works best with a bold or dark color. Keep in mind that you only buy food-safe and non-toxic powder dye.
4. Create your natural food color to get rich, subtle, and quality colors
If you are not willing to buy synthetic dyes to add to your food, you can further opt for brightly colored fruits and vegetables. Depending on your choice, you either juice, boil or dehydrate it before grinding it to a pigment for dying your food. Natural food coloring is obtained from various plant sources such as Berries (strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries), Carrots, Beets, Spinach, Red cabbage, Onions, and Pomegranates.
Industry Regulation For the Use of Food Colors
It doesn’t matter if it is a natural dye or synthetic dye, an important thing is whether the obtained product meets the desired specifications as stated by the regulatory body.
According to the Indian FSSAI, there are certain regulations for the use of food colors in particular foods and beverages, regardless of whether there is a concentrated interest in natural products. If the desired specifications aren't met, then the regulations serve no purpose at all.
Final Words
Thus, considering the origin of the naturally transpiring food colorants, they can be categorized into natural, synthetic, or inorganic dyes. Natural food colors can be obtained from various sources, including fruits, plants, vegetables, minerals, and other edible natural sources. They give a bright color when added to foods and beverages. Adding colors to food can help improve the look and feel of your food products and encourage consumers to buy a product after seeing its color. If you need more info on food colors, I recommend speaking to an expert from a leading manufacturer of food colors.