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Natural colours supplier Oterra has teamed up with Swiss materials innovator Seprify to launch a plant-based white colouring that can replace titanium dioxide in food and beverage applications.

Titanium dioxide is a white pigment, synthetically produced and used as a colourant in food and beverage products. Following its ban in the EU in 2022 due to potential safety concerns, and amid increasing scrutiny over artificial colours and additives around the world, manufacturers are now working to develop alternatives to titanium dioxide and other synthetic colourants.

The partnership will enable Oterra to offer customers a clean label and renewable alternative claimed to match the opacity, brightness and whitening effect of titanium dioxide while significantly reducing environmental impact.

This collaboration combines Oterra’s global market reach and application expertise with Seprify’s materials science and process innovation, integrating its patented cellulose-based technology. It is built on a two-year collaboration between the two companies, testing across more than 15 food categories including bakery icings, confeciontery coatings, sauces, plant-based meat and dairy, and powdered beverages.

Seprify’s extraction technology produces particles inspired by natural surfaces that scatter light in a particular way to create a bright, white surface.

According to the two companies, the titanium dioxide alternative offers easy and fast dispersion, excellent whitening properties and a neutral flavour and odour. It is also light-, heat- and pH-stable, and can be used in lower dosages than other alternatives.

The new white is produced from microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), sourced from FSC-certified virgin wood pulp. The wood pulp used is 100% renewable, nano-compliant and food-safe. It is estimated to create 80% lower CO2 emissions compared to titanium dioxide.

As a registered form of MCC, it can be used across food and beverage categories in compliance with EU and US regulations. The solution is available for customer trials now, with studies already underway across key regions.

Luc Ganivet, chief innovation officer at Oterra, said: “Oterra has developed one of the largest portfolios of natural colors in response to growing consumer demand for alternatives to artificial colours”.

“While we have good, natural raw materials to replace titanium dioxide in selected applications, this new source of white gives us better options for a broader range of food and beverage applications.”

Lukas Schertel, CEO and co-founder of Seprify, commented: “This partnership marks the next chapter in Seprify’s growth – translating scientific validation into commercial momentum”.

“Together, we’re proving that natural materials can deliver the same whitening performance as titanium dioxide while cutting CO2 and meeting new legislative demands. It’s a major step toward making sustainable ingredients the default choice for global food brands.”