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Oterra, a supplier of natural colours for food and beverages, has launched a new range of clean label caramel replacement colour solutions. The new ‘Simply Brown’ range is crafted from apples and forms part of Oterra’s FruitMax colouring portfolio. Oterra said that the launch responds to a need for clean label alternatives to using caramel as a food colouring staple, in line with evolving consumer preferences and increasing demand for natural foods made without additives. The Simply Brown range includes two products for human consumption, a powder and liquid, as well as two pet products. It utilises a ‘gentle’ cooking process that results in rich, stable and natural brown shades without unwanted caramelisation. Food and beverage manufacturers utilising the solutions can meet clean label requirements by being able to list the colours on packaging as ‘apple concentrate’ in the EU, or ‘fruit juice (colour)' in the US. In contrast to certain caramel replacements, such as malt, Simply Brown is also gluten-free and devoid of 4-MEI and sulfites. The range is suited to bakery, cereal, snack and savoury applications due to its stability in high pH and high-temperature environments. Oterra said it is also perfect for dairy applications, such as delivering a classic chocolate milkshake appearance without interfering with other proteins and minerals in the mixture.