U. S. FDA approved new Natural Blue Color- Butterfly pea flower extract

U. S. FDA approved new Natural Blue Color- Butterfly pea flower extract

The development of social media has promoted people's fascination with food photography, especially those brightly colored products. At present, people's requirements for food must not only satisfy the taste, but also have a delicious appearance, look cooler and more attractive to consumers. Markets data shows that with consumers' increasing awareness of clean labels and increasing demand for natural Colors, new market demands have strongly promoted the development of food coloring categories. The report predicts that the global food coloring market is estimated to be US$3.88 billion by 2018 and will reach a compound annual growth rate of 5.7% by 2023, reaching US$5.12 billion.

For a successful product, it is challenging to balance taste and color. Take RTD as an example. Whether through Instagram or on supermarket shelves, beverage manufacturers are always looking for vibrant, eye-catching colors to attract consumers' attention.

Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the water extract of butterfly pea flower (Clitoria ternatea) as a natural blue color additive, which is a plant native to Southeast Asia. This will be an important milestone in the food industry, filling an important gap in the series of natural colors, especially natural blue colors.

The approved applications include:

Alcoholic beverages (spirits, liqueurs and flavored alcoholic beverages);

Non-alcoholic beverages (sports and energy drinks, flavored or carbonated water, fruit drinks (including smoothies and cereal drinks), carbonated soft drinks (fruity or juice, ginger ale), nutritious drinks, fruit and vegetable juices, tea);

chewing gum;

Coated nuts;

Liquid coffee creamer (dairy and non-dairy products);

Ice cream and frozen dairy desserts;

Dairy products and non-dairy beverages;

Hard candies and soft candies;

Fruit products in yogurt.