Natural progression: Colors and flavors from nature deliver no-compromise performance

Natural colors and flavors have taken center stage in food and beverage innovation, evolving far beyond their early limitations. In the SupplySide Food & Beverage Journal digital magazine on colors and flavors, learn how advancements in sourcing, stabilization and formulation are making these natural ingredients indispensable for brands navigating consumer demand for transparency and sustainability.

Natural colors and flavors are such fixtures of contemporary formulation that it’s hard to recall a time when synthetics were the safer bet vis-à-vis finished-product taste, appearance, stability, price and more. 

Yet the fact that brands across the food and beverage landscape now embrace naturals without regret testifies to the steady progress suppliers have made in sourcing, extracting and stabilizing these ingredients against food processing’s assaults. 

And they’re making that progress not a moment too soon. “Consumers increasingly shop their values,” Jennifer Zhou, ADM’s global senior director of product marketing for flavors, declared. “They want to know the origins of ingredients, and that makes naturally derived colors and flavors more important than ever.” 

Moved to act 

Alice Lee, technical marketing manager at GNT USA LLC, agreed. “There’s definitely been a mindset shift in the industry where natural colors are no longer seen as just a consideration for new product innovations,” she said. “They’re seen as a must.” 

Dana Osborn, marketing manager at California Natural Color, pointed to the California Food Safety Act — signed into law in 2023 — for kicking that shift into higher gear with its ban on the food use of FD&C Red No. 3 (erythrosine). As a result, “Almost all our customer projects solely use natural color, whether for a new product launch or transitioning from synthetic to natural colors,” she said. 

Rhapsody in blues 

Fortunately, natural options are increasingly available to help smooth the transition. 

“Over the past decade, we’ve seen improvements in natural colors’ ability to meet specific requirements and address gaps in the market,” Lee observed. “This can come from improving colors’ technical performance in applications, driving regulatory clarity of a certain color or source, developing new raw-material varieties to fulfill a market need, or blending certain raw materials to reduce complexity at the commercialization stage.” 

She cited progress in natural blues as exhibit A, noting that more than 10 years ago, GNT obtained FDA approval for — and subsequently launched — spirulina extract as a natural blue in applications like confectionery, decorative coatings, fruit preps and dairy. 

And while that development brought blue, green and purple shades under natural’s umbrella, they remained off-limits in drinks until 2022, when GNT got FDA approval to use spirulina extract in nonalcoholic beverages and alcoholic beverages below 20% ABV (alcohol by volume). 

“We also developed a patented technology to stabilize spirulina in acidified, ready-to-drink [RTD] beverages,” Lee added, “which was vital to delivering stable, vibrant results.” 

High performance 

Stabilizing colors — not to mention improving their function — across production and product environments has driven much of the development arising today. 

Mathilde Brousse, natural colors solutions product leader at IFF, concurred. “Extraction techniques are becoming more efficient,” she noted, “and formulation technologies are being refined to boost performance, with improvements in encapsulation and oxidation resistance, for example.” 

Osborn mentioned that proprietary processing and drying technologies her company uses to produce its crystal colors line permit color concentrations five to seven times greater than those found in standard spray-dried or liquid colors. 

And Zhou claimed that ADM’s patented micronized technology creates colors with plating properties that deliver superior stability — allowing beet juice and black carrot, for example, to display the bright reds and pinks of FD&C Red No. 3 and Red No. 40 (allura red AC). 

She added that the fruit-juice blue in one of her company’s lines is acid-, light- and heat-stable, producing a spectrum of blues, purples, greens and even caramel-free browns across pH systems. 

Modulated measures 

Sophia Pai, VP of application and technical services for Tate & Lyle LLC, gave a nod to the use of flavors with modifying properties (FMPs) as an emerging innovation in the natural flavor space. “These natural flavorings are increasingly popular for their ability to enhance a product’s overall taste profile without introducing new, distinct flavors,” she described. “Instead, modifying existing flavors to create a more desirable taste experience.” 

Some stevia extracts, for instance, act as FMPs at low use levels. Zhou added that the naturally derived flavor modulators in ADM’s TasteSpark line help rebalance profiles, mask off-notes and create a perception of mouthfeel. 

“Representing a significant advance in flavor technology,” Pai said, “FMPs offer a versatile solution for improving the taste of a wide range of food and beverage products while maintaining natural and healthy formulations.” 

Cutting edge 

Flavor and color suppliers are also pinning their hopes on the potential of new technologies to tackle challenges around stability, consistency, supply lines and more. 

Brousse added that by replicating target molecules in a controlled environment rather than leaving their generation to agriculture, precision fermentation can erase some of the variability that accompanies changing seasons, let alone a changing climate. “This promises greater stability in long-term fixed costs and enhanced supply-chain management,” she maintained. 

Sustainable solutions 

In light of potential threats facing the food system, natural color and flavor suppliers are betting on smart farming to secure their raw materials’ future. 

Brousse noted, “Implementation of fully sustainable regenerative-agriculture practices is being considered to maximize crop yields and concentration of color-active compounds.” 

As to whether the resulting colors and flavors might bear some whiff of their “upcycled” origins, Brousse wasn’t worried. “As mindsets evolve and awareness of climate change’s repercussions heightens,” she predicted, “there’s hope that adopting circular practices will alleviate any negative perceptions surrounding byproducts.” 

Waste not, want not 

Besides, Lee added, “Color is a great way to send signals about product identity. Manufacturers can use certain palettes to indicate that a product is sustainable, and we’ve highlighted three new color directions inspired by the natural world as part of our Color Futures report focused on the theme of Regeneration Rising.” 

Case in point: Elevated Earth “celebrates nature’s imperfections” — read: texture and color variations — to “elevate a product to an organic and premium look and feel,” Lee said. The color palette rests on a base of saturated, earthy browns, deep greens, reds and muted golds; and as for applications, think carrot crackers made from leftover juicing pulp and shaped irregularly for textural variation. 

Proof is in the product 

Zhou is optimistic about the market, noting, “We’re seeing some exciting foods and beverages gaining traction with consumers, from the bright colors communicated on social media to dinner-in-a-glass cocktails and everything ‘swicy.’ People want to be delighted by what they consume.” 

Taking inspiration from the bounty, ADM is cooking up concepts like a truffle with “evocative textures, layers of sweet and savory flavor, and our vibrant blue color from huito fruit,” she said, as well as cocktails that deliver fresh juice and herbs in the profile without the need for the tinctures, bitters or liquors a full bar would require. 

“Our recent acquisition of Totally Natural Solutions (TNS) has unlocked proprietary technology for concentration and fractionation of hops, expanding our toolbox of natural hop oils, extracts and flavors,” Zhou added. “From traditional brewed beers and nonalcoholic lagers to sparkling waters and soft drinks, hop flavors can be enjoyed across categories.” 

Makes you wonder why we bothered with synthetics in the first place.