Bioactive Natural Pigments' Extraction, Isolation, and Stability in Food Applications

Abstract

Color in food has multiple effects on consumers, since this parameter is related to the quality of a product, its freshness, and even its nutrient content. Each food has a characteristic color; however, this can be affected by the technological treatments that are applied during its manufacturing process, as well as its storage. Therefore, the development of new food products should take into account consumer preferences, the physical properties of a product, food safety standards, the economy, and applications of technology. With all of this, the use of food additives, such as dyes, is increasingly important due to the interest in the natural coloring of foods, strict regulatory pressure, problems with the toxicity of synthetic food colors, and the need for globally approved colors, in addition to current food market trends that focus on the consumption of healthy, organic, and natural products. It is for this reason that there is a growing demand for natural pigments that drives the food industry to seek or improve extraction techniques, as well as to study different stability processes, considering their interactions with the food matrix, in order to meet the needs and expectations of consumers.

Keywords: anthocyanins; carotenoids; chlorophyl; colorants; extraction; stability.

Figure 1

Natural and synthetic colorants’ advantages and disadvantages.

Figure 2

Molecular structures of representative food colorants from natural sources.