Colors To Die For: The Dangerous Impact of Food Coloring

Natural food color is good for health. Need for addition of color to food Make food more attractive and informative as that helps the consumers to identify their desired food products. Also make food more appetizing. Food colors influence appetite and choice of food.

Disadvantages of Natural Dyes

• Cost – A larger amount of natural dyes may be needed in order to dye a specific amount of fabric as opposed to synthetic dyes.
• Color pay-off – Color pay-off from natural dyes tend to fade quickly.
• Availability – Another issue with natural dyes is their availability.

• Blue #1 Brilliant Blue. Known Dangers:
• Blue #2 Indigo Carmine. Known Dangers:
• Citrus Red #2. Known Dangers:
• Green #3 Fast Green. Known Dangers:
• Red #40 Allura Red. Known Dangers:
• Red #3 Erythrosine. Known Dangers:
• Yellow #5 Tartrazine.
• Yellow #6 Sunset Yellow.

A: Studies have linked artificial food dyes to: Hyperactivity, including ADHD. Behavioral changes like irritability and depression. Hives and asthma.

Pro Tips for Natural Food Coloring

• Pink: strawberries, raspberries.
• Red: beets, tomato.
• Orange: carrots, paprika, sweet potato.
• Yellow: saffron, turmeric.
• Green: matcha, spinach.
• Blue: red cabbage + baking soda.
• Purple: blueberries, purple sweet potato.
• Brown: coffee, tea, cocoa.

When it comes to dyeing foods pink and/or red, most sources agree that beets are the best option. They’re simple enough to incorporate into recipes as dye: simply use some of the liquid from canned beets, or boil or juice raw beets and use the resulting liquid.

Other options for green food coloring include liquid chlorophyll (find it at your nearest health food store), matcha powder, spirulina powder (also sold at health food stores), wheatgrass juice, and parsley juice.

Gel Food Colorings: Best 5 Picks

• Ann Clark Cookie Cutters Food Coloring Gel 12-Pack.
• Nomeca 12 Color Cake Food Coloring Set.
• Nomeca 12 Colors Gel Food Coloring.
• Limino Food Coloring – 12 Color Vibrant Cake Food Coloring Set for Baking.
• Wayin Gel Food Coloring 10x10ml Colors Set.

In general, gel/paste food coloring can be used interchangeably with liquid coloring, you will simply need to use much less (gel/paste colors can be very cost effective!). A powdered color is used most often in applications where water is prohibited, such as in chocolate and dry mixes.

Pros: The color in liquid gel dye is more concentrated than traditional liquid food colorings, so you need less, which is important in recipes where you want to minimize the amount of liquid added (such as in candy or icing recipes).

The easiest liquid colors for chocolate are known as Oil-Based Food colors such as the Chef Master Brand. Just add drops of the food coloring directly into your melted chocolate until you achieve the desired shade.

Gel icing or paste dye can be found in grocery or cooking stores. Add powdered food dye for an extra dark color. Pick up a tiny bit of powder with a spoon and drop it in your water slowly. Blend in more dye, a little at a time, until you get the deep color you’re looking for.

Can I use liquid gel color to color chocolates? Yes, but you must heat the coloring first to make it the same temperature as the chocolate. Add the gel very gradually and mix the chocolate well, as some gel coloring gets quite lumpy.

Like other pantry items, food colouring should be stored in a cool and dark place. If its original packaging is damaged or if it is not sealed properly, liquid and gel colours will dry out very soon, so it is important to ensure the lids fit properly before storing.

For chocolate, you’ll need to add either powdered- or oil-based food coloring. You cannot use water-based food coloring because this will cause the chocolate to seize. The powdered- and oil-based kinds of food colorings will add color without ruining the texture of the chocolate.

Ruby chocolate