Food coloring
Introduction
The color of food is part of what makes is appetizing to the human mind. Color is an important property of food that adds to our enjoymeny of eating. Nature teaches us to expect certain colors in our foods, and our acceptance of foods is dependent on their meeting these expectations. Coloring adds interest and appeal: Heinz's recent release of green ketchup is only the tip of the iceberg. While foods like Froot Loops are obviously artificially colored, few people know that oranges can be as well.
Why Do We Color Foods?
Color variation in foods throughout season and the effects of processing and storing often make color addition necessary to maintain the expected color. Some of the primary reasons include:
- Offsetting color loss due to light, air, extremes of temperature, moisture, and the storage conditions.
- Correction of natural variations in color.
- Enhancing naturally occurring colors.
- Providing identity to foods.
- Protecting flavors and vitamins.
Facts
- Yellow food coloring No. 5 can cause hives in one of ten thousand people.
- Yellow No. 5, also known as Tartrazine, is a coal-tar derivative.
- FD&C Red No. 3 is linked to thyroid tumors in rats.
- American industry puts 3000 tons of food color into processed food per year.
Natural Food Dyes
Caramel coloring is found in Coca-Cola and other cola products. It's made from caramelized sugar. Annatto is a reddish-orange dye made from the seed of a tropical tree. Chlorella is green, and derived from algae.
Health Problems
Many of the artificial food colorings cause reactions in sensitive individuals ranging from hyperactivity to depression to asthma-like symptoms. Dr. Feingold pioneered research in the field and founded an organization devoted to aiding sensitive individuals stay away from artifical colors, flavors, and preservatives. Often, individuals allergic to food colorings are also allergic to salycilic acid, which is found chiefly in citrus fruits and aspirin.