Is natural food coloring good for you?

Is natural food coloring good for you?

Natural food coloring is made from natural ingredients. We can make them by physical and chemical extractions that results in the extraction of a particular pigment. Natural Food colors are mostly used in domestic cooking. They come in many forms such as solid, liquid, galley, and paste. Natural food coloring is used to provide a characteristic color to the food. These are not the characteristic ingredient of food, they just provide color to them. “Coloring food” is something that is used by the food industry to provide color to the food. They are environmentally friendly. Save to use.

To make colors

In order to make the red color, you can use the beat or strawberries. Dry them and crush them to powder. Add them to your food to make a color in your food. To make yellow color just add the turmeric to your food. To make an orange color you can use carrot juice. For green color, spinach is the best to use. For blue color red cabbage can be used and for brown color, coffee can be used.

Harmless to use

As the natural colors are obtained from natural sources, they are harmless. There is no chemical used in their making. So, these are saved to use. Natural colors are appealing to consumers as they are not harmful to the environment. Natural food colors are harmless as many of them are used in beauty products. Carmine is used in lipstick and it is not harmful. To obtain the soothing shade natural dyes are the best to use.

The harmful effect of natural food colors

These can be harmful to some extent. Natural food dye hematein and hematoxylin are obtained from the logwood. These create a harmful effect when they are inhaled, ingested, or absorbed by the skin. Another natural dye source “bloodroot ”is also harmful. When it is inhaled it may cause irritation and inflammations on the skin. Moreover, when we use the mordant to fix the dye on the fabrics they may cause a toxic effect. Many mordants such as iron, copper, and aluminum cause a toxic effect when used as a fixer to fabrics.

One of the popular opinions to use these natural dyes is that they are made from natural sources so they are safe to use and they are eco-friendly. They are not safe neither they are ecologically safe than synthetic dyes.

The disadvantage of using natural dyes

Natural dyes are used in large amounts to dye a piece of fabric. For example, in order to dye one pound of cotton fabric, 5 grams of synthetic dye is used while about 230 grams of natural dye is used. To use natural dye is more expensive. The color of natural dyes fades quickly. The availability of natural dyes is another issue. The raw material to make these dyes vary from season to season as compared to the synthetic dyes. Sustainability is an issue for the production of natural dyes.

What are natural food dyes made from?

What are natural food dyes made from?

The root of natural food dyes is vast. They are made from a wide range of sources such as vegetables, minerals, fruits, and the bark of plants. They provide color when we add them to the food or drink. They vary in their forms such as powder, gel, liquid, and solid. There are used on the commercial level as well as on the domestic level.

NATURAL FOOD DYES

These are some simple steps to make natural dyes. First of all, choose the source from which you want to extract the natural dyes. Collect about 1 cup of fruits and vegetables. Chop them in a chopper. Allow the food and vegies to provide more color to completely saturate the dyes. Transfer the chopped material into the saucepan and add the water. Add water twice that of the quantity of the chopped material. As for 1 cup of the chopped material add about 2 cups of water. Boil it. About one hour when the dyes reached the desired color turns off the heat. Allow it to cool at room temperature. Stain it and store it.

HOW TO DYE FABRIC

Natural dyes are used to provide colors to the clothing. Mordent, a fixative that is used to impart adhering to the dyes to fix on the cloth. Fabrics require one more step to hold the dye in the case of natural dyes. Here are some steps to produce lovely colored fabrics. For fruit dyes, take ¼ cup of salt and approximately 4 cups of water and stew the clothes for 1 hour. For vegetable dyes, take 1 cup of the salt and cups of water to stew the cloth for 1 hour. After one hour wash out the fabric in cold water. Remove the excess water from the fabric. Soak it in the dyes. Place the fabric in the dye container for about 24 hours. Wash it with cooled water. Dry it in the air.

PROTECTION WITH DYES

As fixative or mordent is necessary for the dyeing process. Many mordants are highly dangerous. Iron, copper, and tin are used as fixatives, but these are very dangerous ones. We use salt as a natural fixative.

SOME IMPORTANT NATURAL DYES

1- CAROTENOIDS

Carotenoids are important pigments of plants, algae, and some bacteria. They provide the yellow, orange, and red color to different parts of the plants, fruits, and vegetables. They have more than 600 types.

 2- CHLOROPHYLL

It is one of the most important green pigment which found most commonly in cyanobacteria, algae, and plant. Chlorophyll mostly absorbs blue light and to some extent red light.

 3- ANTHOCYANIN

These are the pigments that provide the purple, red, and blue color to the vegetables and plant. It has antioxidant activity. Variation in the intensity of their color is due to the acidity or alkalinity. It most denatured by heat.

 4- TURMERIC

It is one of the most important pigments which provides the yellow and orange color to the food. Its color variations depend upon the acidity and alkalinity. As pH increases its color changes to green slowly.

Best & Easier Ways to Make Natural Food Colors- How they are Made?

Best & Easier Ways to Make Natural Food Colors- How they are Made?

There are many different ways to develop natural food colors and most of them are effective and provide top-quality food colors. The best method to make natural food colors out of all of them are given below:

The sources to make the natural food colors can be found everywhere around us such as raspberries, strawberries, sweet potato, tomato, beets, cocoa, coffee, activated charcoal, and many more. Our first step is to choose the right source to make food coloring. The food colors completely depend on what source we choose. While making the food colors, keep your expectations reasonable because natural colors are not as vibrant as commercialized food colors. So just keep in mind that your red will not be pure red but it will give a nice and unique tint.

Give Preference to Natural Food Colors

The second main thing to consider is the flavor of the food colors. The natural food colors are much better than a commercialized product in the sense that they give natural taste while the artificial taste can be felt from the commercialized product. The flavors are made from the natural ingredients of food, and when added while icing the product, it gives an everlasting taste. This method of adding flavor might not be effective for many ingredients that need cooking such as cocoa, matcha, and coffee but it is useful for food products like squid ink, spinach, and many more and can give a very fresh and natural taste.

Powder and Liquid are the two forms of food colors, and both are used worldwide. The easier way to make natural food colors are through powder. The powder form can provide a more concentrated color as they easily mix up with water. The powder forms of vegetables and dried fruits are easily available in the market, but they can also be made easily by first freezing and then pulverizing the dried food items. Some can directly be added to the frosting because they naturally exist in powder forms like cocoa, spices, tea, and coffee, etc.

Getting Pure and Concentrated Liquid Form

The other method is through a liquid form. Getting a pure and concentrated food color from a liquid is quite a challenging task. The solid particles that are usually left in it. A juicer or a blender can be used to make a liquid form of the food products. The particles can be strained out, which is time-consuming. After finishing, the liquid of the liquid base is reduced to make sure the more concentrated food colors are obtained. The normal recommendation is to reduce the water until ¼ cups are left. This is the pure and natural food color ready to put to freeze.

Keeping an eye on the temperature is a main and crucial part of making food colors. These natural food colorants perform great while shading the frozen products. Many baked goods can also be shaded and flavored with these food colors. But heat can cause the colors of many products to go duller and darker. It is also a recommendation to cool them properly before actually using them for any food recipe.

After providing the proper temperature to them, the natural food colors are successfully made. Now the final step is to add them in frosting or icing. The expert way to add the color is to add it gradually until you achieve the desired color. Just make sure to add more powder color than liquid color. Powder color is more effective in flavor and color.

Can you buy natural food coloring?

Can you buy natural food coloring?

You can buy natural food coloring but it is much expensive. Colors and flavors play an important role in the success and marketing of a finished product after its synthesis. If the color and flavor are according to the customer’s choice, then it is of great worth. Otherwise, it is of no use. Because, if the smell or color of the finished product is not good. It will not be sold out.

Usage of Benefits

The usage of color additives in food has a lot of benefits. It makes the vision of the food more attractive and mesmerizing. Furthermore, the color loss is also prohibited. Hence the addition of colors in foods also gives an attractive hue to food. Now as far as the flavors are concerned, they not only add taste to the foods but also have many functional roles as well. These functional roles include masking off notes and bitterness from nutritional ingredients such as proteins and fibers. It is quite clear that there is a difference between artificial and natural color dyes of food. Artificial dyes are often found in Easter eggs and pastel cakes. While the natural stuff of food dyes is present in plants and it is free from glycerin and corn syrup. As far as the cost is concerned, it is very costly.

Natural dyes are very beneficial for those who are allergic to synthetic dyes. Now we will discuss the hacks for creating your own food dye if you are not comfortable with the artificial dyes available at stores. For starters, it is suggested simply to use turmeric as yellow food coloring—no treatment needed. If you want to make the pink or red color, you can use beet juice or dry strawberries and then crush them into a fine powder. It will add a pink tone to your food.

Natural Food Color

 There are also many alternatives for green and orange dyes. If you want an orange color, then use saffron and if you want green color then use matcha for this. In this way, you can have natural dye for your food. We can buy natural food coloring from the market. As far as the price is concerned, natural colors are costlier than their synthetic counterparts and present certain stability challenges from heat, light, and oxygen, brands are reformulating with great success. As far as Kraft’s Macaroni & Cheese is concerned, the brand was able to eliminate its artificial colors and flavors without consumers really noticing a difference. Kraft announced in April 2015 that it planned to remove all artificial flavors, preservatives, and dyes from its Blue Box, and did exactly that in December of that year. In March 2016 which is just three months later, the brand reported the selling of more than 50 million boxes of its mac and cheese, revamped with natural coloring from paprika, annatto in the place of yellows 5 and 6. It was all about buying a food color.

Get 8 Most Desired Answers About Lutein

Get 8 Most Desired Answers About Lutein

In commercial farms, Lutein cannot be ignored at all. Another important food colorant that is yellow in color and is being produced from the flowers of marigold is called Carotenoid Lutein. It is also found in most green vegetables, and beneficial for our health, as it provides anti-oxidants for different food products.

Lutein

What are Medicinal claims?

Many of the experts call Lutein as ‘The Eye Vitamin’ because it protects against many eye problems like AMD and many other dangerous conditions like heart diseases or diabetes. It has been found to develop cancer in animals, however, the studies are not yet conducted for humans. There are also claims for heart diseases because of lutein, however it is not a certain fact that it is responsible.

Lutein

What is the right dose of Lutein?

If people must take Lutein, then the right dose for them is as:

  • After conducting much researches and experiments, scientists have come to this conclusion, that up to 20mg per day is the right dose for adults.
  • The right dose for children is unconfirmed and yet to determine.
  • It is not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women because of other nutritional medications.  

What are the side effects of high dose?

Consuming a high concentration of Lutein can cause different health related conditions, such as carotenodermia which is a skin discoloration problem. Which changes the skin and eye color and can be misunderstood for Jaundice. The color can be wiped with an alcohol swab.

What to do in case of a high dose?

If someone mistakenly takes a high amount of lutein, then immediately get in contact with poison control for help or find the right tools online. Do not waste your time, trying to vomit as it is not a helpful strategy.

Lutein

What are the right usages?

It has many uses like food colorant and using as a supplement to add nutrition in baking products. It is used is many different edible products such as:

  • Beverages bases.
  • Dairy and egg products.
  • Gravies and sausages.
  • Juices and desserts.
  • Fats, oils, and cereals.
  • Chewing gum.

 How is Lutein taken?

Lutein is usually found in orange or yellow color and can be easily availed from markets, food, or supplement stores or online markets as well. It is also available in drug form which can be taken from and medical pharmacies but consult your pharmacist or doctor before you take the drugs. It can also be found in the form of a capsule.

Lutein

What does FDA say?

It does not fall under the authority of the Food and Health Administration (FDA) as it is a supplement. As not much scientific research is done on it so no confirmed statements can be presented about the side effects but it is not recommended in pregnant women or children.

Lutein

Which are the functions of Lutein for our body?

Lutein is found in different parts of our body such as the brain, cervix, breasts but prominently in the eyes and plays important roles to help our body to function properly. The best way to take lutein is through the mouth, as it also controls the lutein deficiency.

A Comprehensive Guideline about Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin

A Comprehensive Guideline about Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin

The most important sources are solvent extraction of grass, lucerne, nettle, and other plant material. Sodium copper chlorophyllin is a chemical structure. The mixture of the water-soluble derivatives of chlorophyllin prepares it. Its chemical formula is C₃₄H₃₁CuN₄Na₃O₆. It is designed specifically to have many uses. “Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin is a stable, water-soluble derivative of Chlorophyll which is the naturally occurring pigment that gives plants their green hue”, originally. We shall discuss some of the things where it is perfect to use properly. The usage of sodium copper chlorophyllin is a widely accepted norm in ice creams, dry beverages mixes, icing, and confectionery.

Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin

Colorant

Its usage as a colorant is also perfect for a wide range of applications. These colorants can also be termed as pigments or dyes. These colorants are used for providing colors to drugs, care products such as hair dye, inks for the tattoo, and cosmetics. It is also a famous colorant for food products. It's another use is the ink for printing of papers.

Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin

Fragrance

It has the main purpose as a fragrance in different products. Its usage as use as a fragrance in a wide range of perfumes is common.

Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin

Consumer Use

It is used widely for consumer use such as cleaning washing products for humans or for machines that might be for residential, commercial, or industrial areas.

Personal Care

There are a variety of cosmetics. The sodium copper chlorophyllin is used such as shampoos, soaps, lotions, perfumes, and toothpaste, etc.

Pesticides

In the field of agriculture, this pigment is used as a pesticide to save the crops from different kinds of bugs or pesticides that attack the crops in different seasons.

Dietary Supplement

Even though very small knowledge is known about its absorption or digestion in the body. Even, after the demonstration of the properties of antioxidants and anti-mutagenic properties. However, it is still considered as a dietary supplement.

Reducing body odors.

 This is not a hundred percent proven or accepted by all the experts however it is not a guaranteed fact that there are enough pieces of evidence that reveal that the use of chlorophyllin is much helping people reduce their body odors in elder people.

Constipation

Many types of research suggest that taking chlorophyllin can relieve constipation significantly. That is perfect especially for older age.

Reducing fecal odors

 There is some evidence that chlorophyllin might help reduce fecal odors in older people.

Gas (flatulence)

It also helps to reduce gas in the stomach according to many types of research as well.

It is an inside deodorant and typically in the treatment of slow recovering wounds. It does not have any harmful side effects.

Another use of sodium copper chlorophyllin is that it produces acid drink like a green colorant, in drink a floss. It affects our senses and also the color of the drink that contains sodium copper chlorophyllin. It directly affects the sense organ and the color of the drink.

Sodium copper chlorophyllin while using as a colorant can be used for nectar, processing of food, processing of vegetables, and for candies as well.