The US Food and Drug Administration recently expanded the applications in which spirulina can be used as a colourant.
Spirulina was originally approved for use in candy and chewing gum, and is now approved for use in a wider range of products, including frostings, ice cream and frozen desserts, dessert coatings and toppings, beverage mixes and powders, yogurts, custards, puddings, cottage cheese, gelatin, breadcrumbs and ready-to-eat cereals (excluding extruded cereals).
“It’s definitely very exciting to have this pigment option available to create new shades of colour,” said Byron Madkins, director of business development, Americas for the Natural Color Division of Chr Hansen. “The ability to deliver green shades in particular, which has been the cause of much frustration in the past, is now very achievable.
“By formulating spirulina with encapsulated turmeric or beta-carotene, for example, we can deliver stable, beautiful green shades for the approved applications in addition to blue shades. With the approval of spirulina as a natural (exempt from certification) blue colour, the conversion from synthetic to naturally derived colours is even more within reach.”
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