Natural Colors
Natural Pigments are often required for formulating foods and beverages for the natural products industry. The vast majority of such colorings are extracted from plant and vegetable sources. Among the most common fruit and vegetable-based colors are those extracted from beets, purple carrots, purple potatoes, elderberry and grapes. Other plants used for coloring include turmeric and annatto, a yellow-orange color derived from the pulp surrounding seeds of the achiote tree. Caramel color, made by caramelizing sugars, is also widely used.