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Unlock the Potential of Ube-Inspired Purple with EXBERRY®

The food and beverage landscape in APAC is evolving rapidly, shaped by consumers seeking authentic, visually distinctive, and natural products. Color plays a central role in this shift. It influences first impressions, communicates quality, and helps products stand out in increasingly competitive markets. Among emerging shades, ube-inspired purple has become a powerful tool for differentiation, but translating this trend into scalable, stable applications can still present technical challenges for R&D teams.

This is where a practical approach makes the difference.

EXBERRY® by GNT has introduced a new paper, The Power of Purple (Ube), developed to support product developers in understanding and applying this trend effectively. The paper demonstrates how to achieve the recognizable ube-like purple appearance using plant-based color solutions derived from fruits, vegetables, and plants, allowing developers to meet clean-label expectations while maintaining performance.

Inside the paper, you’ll discover how ube purple has evolved from a culturally significant Asian reference into a global color and flavor cue. For R&D teams, the value lies in translating this perception into products that deliver consistent results. Ube-inspired purple resonates strongly with consumers because it combines multiple emotional and functional cues:

·       A sense of comfort, connected to cultural familiarity

·       Creativity, supporting new and exploratory concepts

·       Well-being, linked to a natural ingredient

·       Modern appeal, aligned with visual trends

The paper also explores how this color trend has gained momentum globally. Driven by social media visibility and growing interest in Asian-inspired products, purple shades have become highly recognizable and visually impactful across categories.  For product developers in APAC, this creates a clear opportunity to innovate with colors that are both locally relevant and globally appealing.

However, achieving the desired shade and performance requires careful formulation. Replicating the rich, vibrant look associated with ube, while ensuring stability across pH, temperature, and processing conditions, can be complex when working with natural ingredients.

EXBERRY® can help you to address this challenge. By combining selected plant-based raw materials, they enable developers to recreate a wide spectrum of purple shades suitable for different applications. These solutions offer:

·       Consistent and vibrant color performance

·       Flexibility across formats and processing conditions

·       Compatibility with a wide range of food and beverage applications

·       Clean and simple ingredient labelling aligned with consumer expectations

The paper includes application examples across categories such as dairy, confectionery, beverages, and bakery, illustrating how ube-inspired purple can be successfully implemented in real-world formulations. It also provides guidance on how formulation choices influence the final visual outcome.

Looking ahead, ube-inspired purple is expected to expand further into multiple applications. For R&D teams, this makes it a future-relevant color direction.

Download The Power of Purple (Ube) to explore how EXBERRY® can help you bring this trend to life.