Study on Natural Color Extract and Synthetic Color in Food Preparation

Study on Natural Color Extract and Synthetic Color in Food Preparation

Dewalrani A Yelne

Asst.Professor

Sadabai Raisoni Women’s College

ABSTRACT

Palash flowers are abundantly available in and around Vidarbha. These are wasted as their importance as colouring agent is not known. Synthetic colour is commonly used in food preparation and is known to have a harmful effect on health. So it was postulated to introduce colour of palash flowers in food preparation in comparison with synthetic colour. Palash flowers were collected dried two methods –sun drying and shade drying. Colour was extracted by simple household method from both the dried sampled. The shade dried sample gave a brighter orange colour and hence was used in the experiment.For comparison between natural colour and synthetic colour three recipes were selected i.e. coconut burfi, Jalebi, Sweet rice, for incorporating the colour and sensory evaluation was done by judges. To see whether there was any difference between acceptance of recipes prepared with natural colour and synthetic colour used recipes statistical‘t’ test was applied for all parameters like colour, taste, texture, acceptability. It was found that there was no significant difference between natural colour and synthetic colour used recipes in their sensory properties. Result of the study thus proved that addition of palash colour extract in recipes did not alter their acceptability and were statistically seen to reflect insignificant difference as compared to recipes prepared with synthetic colour.

Colour is associated with every aspect of our lives and plays an integral role in all our behavioral decisions. From birth, nature teaches us to make value judgments on our environment based in large measure on colour. Since the act of eating represents an extremely personal behavior, in that we take part of our environment into us, it is not surprising that colour conditions our choices. Colour affects our overall judgements on the worth of food from both an aesthetic and a safety point of view. It plays an important role in taste thresholds, flavour identification. Food thus creates problems in a technologically oriented society because numbers cannot be assigned to preference, pleasantness, acceptability and ultimately food choice.

However, its role is elusive and difficult to quantify. a cause-effect relationship, there is a tendency to deny the existence of that relationship. That has often led to a situation where the role of colour is either ignored or minimized which, unfortunately, has placed colour in a secondary role to the other sensory characteristics, a position which is not consistent with the facts. Indeed, the importance of colour in food choices is so unquestionable that is often taken for granted, a situation which must be re-evaluated in view of the need for the creation of  new and different foods to feed a hungry  world.

The colour of food is a significant factor in determining its acceptance. We expect to see food looking natural; a natural appearance is appetizing, and we become cautious when a food shows an unexpected colour, interpreting it as a possible sign of spoilage, poor processing or as an indication of adulteration. The association of colour and acceptance of foods is universal, ethnical, historical and social factors and habits. What may be attractive to one group may be unappetizing or even repulsive to another.

The main groups of natural colouring substances in food are caretenoids, anthocyanins, porphyrins and chlorophylls. The carotenoids are responsible for many of the brilliant red, orange and yellow colours of edible fruits and berries, vegetables and mushrooms, flowers, and it is thought that the annual natural production of these compounds amounts to about 100 million  tons. Although oxygenated carotenoids occur in the largest quantities, the hydrocarbon beta-carotene is of particular interest because of its provitamin A activity.

The first synthetic carotenoid to be marketed, in 1954, was beta-carotene. Other carotenoids which have since become commercially available for food colouring are beta-apocarotenal and canthaxanthin. Natural extracts containing carotenoids have been used as food colours for centuries: annatto with pigments capsanthin and casorubin; xanthophylls extracts from leaves. The question of what is a natural colour is interesting and capable of a number of answers. In the context of the food additives it is a most important matter that the answer should be correct and very widely agreed. Although very many colours of natural origin are available commercially, for the purposes of this paper the definition has been drawn more finely than usual. The major limitation in the green part of the spectrum proved to be the lack of natural magnesium chlorophyll extracts of high enough purity from the purpose. While the coppered product clearly does not fulfill two of the basic criteria, it has the merit of being allocated the same level of safety. Further, its purity and availability were very good.

Different countries permit different synthetic food colours. The USA permits 7, including fast red; Iran and Australia, 13 each and in the European Union countries, 16 synthetic food colours are permitted. European countries have been harmonizing the regulation, and most of the controls on colourings in foods stick to EU directives. Each country is attempting to review these controls.India permits addition of 8 colours viz, erythrosine, carmosine, ponceau 4R, and indigo carmine in specified food items. In India, the prevention of food adultration (PFA) acts. Which lays down specification on the addition of additives to foods, was amended in 1995 (PFA, 1998) . The use of permitted and non permitted colours in foods in India is being debated after reporting that the use of non permitted colours adversed effects in experimental animal as well as human.

There has been a spurt in the use of synthetic colors in food. However, with the increasing awareness of toxicity of synthetic colors, demand for pigments from natural sources has increased. (Babu and Shenolikar 1995; Khanna and Singh 1975)

The possibility of using the water-soluble flavonoid pigments from Butea frondosa L. flower as a natural food colorant in the yellow-orange range, in place of the synthetic food colors currently being used, was evaluated .Paper chromatography revealed isobutrin as the major component with an intense yellow color. Except for the relatively poor stability in the presence of SO2 and ascorbic acid, the pigment was stable under varying conditions of pH, heat, and light. At identical concentrations, comparable color intensity was produced by the flower extract and the synthetic coal synthetic coal tar dye. Results suggest that the flower extract could be used as a colorant in place of synthetic coal tar colors. (M. S. Oke et al., 2003)

Natural colorants exempted from certification are either of plant origin or of animal origin. Their use of plant origin or of animal origin in food is consistent with good manufacturing conditions. Recent trend in consumer awareness and growing concern over the safety aspect of synthetic color s have put pressure on food processors to adopt natural colors, which are considered safe by consumers. (Spears, 1998)

Babu and Shenolikar (1995) opined that, with the increasing awareness of toxicity of synthetic colour, demand for pigments from natural sources has increased. Palash flowers are abondantly grown in India and it has good orange-yellow colour which can be used in the food. With the clolouring property of palash flower also has medicinal property. As it is available easily and has colouring and medicinal property, following research project is planned and carried out.