Did you know that natural food colors were discovered and used eons ago? On the other hand, synthetic food colors were discovered during the industrial evolution period (well known by history enthusiasts per say.)

For several years, synthetic food colors were preferred because of several reasons. Users preferred synthetic food colors because:

• They were easy to use (most synthetic food colors have leaflets that instruct users on how to use them.)
• According to Prepared Foods, synthetic food colors deliver bright hues in a variety of foods and baked products
• They do not require preparation by users since they can readily be acquired at your nearest grocery store or food market.

Some people prefer Synthetic to Natural food colors because

Natural food colors are often expensive in terms of cost-per-use, compared to synthetic colors.

For example, in order for you to obtain at least 500ml of natural food color from beets, you would need to purchase and prepare up to 15 beets.

Fun fact: 1 beet yields up to two and a half table spoons (40ml) of beet juice.

This other factor is often experienced by chefs particularly those that prepare baked goods. It is difficult to obtain a particular shade from natural food colors.

For example, until recently, food color enthusiasts didn’t have a way of obtaining specific shades of blue. They often used synthetic food colors.

However, after the discovery of gardenia blue colorant, it became quite possible to obtain different shades of blue. Their application became widely used in beverages, jams and confectioneries too.

One of the most overlooked reasons is stability and shelf life. Here’s an example, beet red color delivers one of the most appealing red hues and very much pH stable. However, when applied to water-based foods and subjected to too much heat, it rapidly degrades and color degradation may be observed.

Also, natural food colors may “go bad” especially when preserved wrongly. This should also be a serious concern for natural food color enthusiasts.

Natural Food colors are quite as important and cannot be underestimated

Food colors can be deemed natural if they are generally vegetal, microbiological, animal or mineral extracted. This basically means that they are strongly packed with minerals, and vitamins essential for human health.

A 2009 study by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) prompted the reduction of ADI (acceptable daily intake) of synthetic food colors due to their long-term effects after consumption. This later triggered the hunt for natural alternatives that proved to be essential natural-nutrient-supplements.

Consequently, in 2013, an industry report showed that “natural color sales overtook artificial color sales for the first time ever.”

This paradigm shift was because of the tremendous benefits of natural food colors to human health. These natural food color health benefits include:

• Increase in athletic performance
• Improved body weight
• Some natural food colors such as beet red E162 are the first line of defense against anemia
• Some natural food colors help prevent cancer metastasis
• Help lower blood pressure
• A few natural colors also help regress dementia among the elderly.

In conclusion

Use and application of either natural or synthetic food colors entirely depends on preference and efficacy. However, despite what colorant you might opt to use, it is important to put into consideration the factors that we have mentioned above.

What food colors do you use? Natural or synthetic food colors? Please share in the comments below and I’ll be sure to reply to each and every one of them; I might feature some of the most enthusiastic in my next article too. Happy coloring!