(Image from Pop Tarts nutrition information page)
TBHQ - we get a sense this is a preservative but what do the letters stand for? How does it act as a preservative?
Glycerin - ?
Modified corn starch - how was it modified?
Alkali - ?
Sodium acid pyrophosphate - ?
Monocalcium phosphate - ?
Artificial flavor - what specifically is it?
Potassium sorbate - same second question as TBHQ
Yellow 5 Lake - ?
Red 40 Lake - ?
Blue 1 Lake -?
Red 40 - ?
This is just a sampling encouraging us to wonder about the what, why, and where did these come from. If we take a chocolate peanut butter flavored Pop Tart out of its wrapper and look at it,
(image from Dishblogger)
(image from Texas Monkey)
(image from Rainbow Jello Cubes)
Because of the perceived ubiquity of synthesized compounds in our food, companies are addressing public concerns about artificial colors which is what today's post will focus on. While they enhance a food product's attractiveness, we wonder about the long-term effects of consuming them and if there is potential risk of developing hyperactivity or even cancer.
The most commonly used food colors in the United States include:
*Blue No. 1, Brilliant Blue FCF (the FCF is "For Coloring Food")
*Red No. 40, Allura Red AC
*Yellow No. 5, Tartrazine
*Yellow No. 6, Sunset Yellow FCF (this is used for making the color orange)
In Europe there has been a greater degree of substituting found-in-nature compounds for man-made, petroleum-based molecules:
Phycocyanobilin is a chromophore (a molecule that imparts color) found in cyanobacteria like Spirulina and blue-green algae. It is currently used in Europe as a substitute for Blue No. 1.
Naturex is a French company using spirulina extract to make blue colors for candy coatings.
The red in red velvet cake as well as in strawberry yogurt comes from a compound known as carmine and has a natural source. A great video by Bob Alderink from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences explains it here.
Curcumin is a compound that comes from an Indian plant called turmeric, a relative of ginger. Besides its use as a natural alternative to yellow food dye, recent research indicates it has the ability to bind to amyloid proteins and is being considered a potential therapy for Alzheimer's disease.
Check out the labels on your packaged foods and find other natural colors from beet juice, annatto, red cabbage juice, and even purple carrot juice. A quick online search will result in many videos and recipes showing how to make natural food coloring agents. A good example from Dulce Delight shows the pH dependence of red cabbage juice as a universal indicator and as a way to make the color blue.
The most commonly used food colors in the United States include:
*Blue No. 1, Brilliant Blue FCF (the FCF is "For Coloring Food")
*Yellow No. 5, Tartrazine
*Yellow No. 6, Sunset Yellow FCF (this is used for making the color orange)
In Europe there has been a greater degree of substituting found-in-nature compounds for man-made, petroleum-based molecules:
Phycocyanobilin is a chromophore (a molecule that imparts color) found in cyanobacteria like Spirulina and blue-green algae. It is currently used in Europe as a substitute for Blue No. 1.
(image 2 from Global Natural Energy; image 3 from John Kuglin/AP File Photo)
Naturex is a French company using spirulina extract to make blue colors for candy coatings.
(image from Foodnavigator.com)
(image 1 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carmine.PNG; image 2 from zoomyummy.com)
(image 1 by Jü (Own
work) [CCO], via Wikimedia Commons; image 2 by Simon
A. Eugster (own
work) [CCO], via Wikimedia Commons)
Curcumin is a compound that comes from an Indian plant called turmeric, a relative of ginger. Besides its use as a natural alternative to yellow food dye, recent research indicates it has the ability to bind to amyloid proteins and is being considered a potential therapy for Alzheimer's disease.
Check out the labels on your packaged foods and find other natural colors from beet juice, annatto, red cabbage juice, and even purple carrot juice. A quick online search will result in many videos and recipes showing how to make natural food coloring agents. A good example from Dulce Delight shows the pH dependence of red cabbage juice as a universal indicator and as a way to make the color blue.
