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California Natural Color has expanded its portfolio of crystal colours with a new addition: Pure Yellow Safflower. The company is an ingredient supplier of premium fruit juice concentrates, natural colours and grape seed extract. The product enables formulators to achieve stable shades and harness supply chain savings through its delivery system. Pure Yellow Safflower is suitable for diverse applications, such as confectionery, beverages, bakery items, ice cream, desserts and specific snack foods. California Natural Color states that Safflower is extensively utilised as a colouring food due to its vibrant colour and stability properties. Unlike other yellow shades derived from turmeric or carrot, which impart a warm yellow hue, Safflower produces a vivid lemon yellow. The product stands out from others in the market due to its "unique crystal form", owned by California Natural Color. Using a patented process, the crystals are created with a high colour concentration, allowing for a bold hue with only a minimal amount required. Cori Fujimoto, colour technology manager of California Natural Color, said: “We are dedicated to delivering innovative natural colour solutions while meeting the needs of our customers. Pure Yellow Safflower exemplifies this commitment by offering a high-quality ingredient that’s free from any additives." "Our crystal colours enhance a product’s visual appeal while satisfying consumer demand for a clean label. They also have the advantage of being up to five times more concentrated and do not require refrigeration, resulting in reduced storage space requirements. All of these factors add up to cost savings throughout the supply chain, making them an ideal alternative to traditional colouring methods.” While the use of Safflower for food colouring is not approved in the US, ingredient suppliers are still hopeful. Fujimoto added: “Europe has been a pioneer in setting the standard for clean labels in food and beverage products. We are witnessing a surge in demand for better colour alternatives sourced from natural ingredients in the US, and we anticipate continued growth.”