ABSTRACT
Color is one of the most important quality attributes of
foods and, no matter how nutritious, flavorful, or well
textured, a food is unlikely to be eaten unless it has
the right color, which is influenced by many factors,
including cultural, geographic, and sociological aspects
of the population (1-3). Color in foods is due to naturally occurring pig-
ments, which are normal constituents of cells. Many
pigments are, unfortunately, unstable during proces-
sing and storage. Depending on the pigment, stability
is impacted by factors such as light, oxygen, heavy
metals, oxidizing or reducing agents, temperature,
water activity, and pH (1,3). Colorants are sometimes added to foods to help
preserve the identity or character by which foods are
recognized; to intensify the natural color of food; to
correct for natural variations in color; to ensure
uniformity of color from batch to batch due to natural
variations in color intensity; to restore the original
appearance of the food when natural colors have been
altered during processing and storage; and to enhance
colors naturally occurring in foods but in less intensity
than the consumer would expect. They are also used to
give an attractive appearance to certain colorless
foods, such as imitation foods, and to help protect
flavor and light-sensitive vitamins during storage
via sunscreen effects. However, it has also been used
for adulteration purposes-to disguise food of poor
quality, to mask decay, to redye food, to mask effects
of aging, or to simulate a higher biological value
(2,4,5). Colorants can be either natural or synthetic.