What is a colorant?

Color is one of the most important sensory attributes of food, capable of delivering a powerful visual impact to consumers. The historical use of color in food can be traced back to ancient Egypt—around 1500 B.C., local confectioners already employed natural extracts and wine to enhance the color of their candies. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, the food industry experienced rapid growth, leading to the development of an increasing number of colorants and establishing colorants as a crucial category within food additives—food colorants.

Food colorants are a major category of food additives primarily used to impart vibrant colors to foods, enhance their visual appeal, and improve their overall appearance. Based on their source, colorants can be classified into two main types: natural colorants and synthetic colorants. Natural colorants are derived partly from plant sources—such as carotenoids extracted from carrots or lycopene from tomatoes—and partly from animal or microbial sources, including carminic acid and monascus red. Synthetic colorants, on the other hand, are non-natural pigments produced through artificial synthesis techniques, such as carmine, lemon yellow, and brilliant blue.

The specific roles of colorants in food processing and production are:

① Improve the deterioration of natural food colors caused by processing, and maintain the appealing color of foods.

② Adding food colors to foods such as candies and jellies can enhance consumers’ purchasing desire and appetite.

③ Ensures uniform product color and reduces natural color variations in food or ingredients.

Colorants are nothing to be feared. China has stringent approval procedures and relevant usage guidelines for the use of colorants. Moreover, China imposes even higher standards on synthetic colorants. Therefore, as long as they are used appropriately in accordance with the relevant regulations, both synthetic and natural colorants pose no threat to human health.