Coloring Agents and Color of Foods

Abstract

Color is unconsciously incorporated into our impressions of foods because our eyes are constantly supplying the brain with color information that is instinctively associated with all other information about any given food. Radishes are “red,” bananas are “yellow,” and lettuce is “green.” In fact, we associate a particular color with almost every food we come in contact with in our daily lives. Thus, color is a significant factor in consumer acceptance of foods, and consumers automatically associate certain color characteristics with fresh and wholesome quality. This evident characteristic of foods is included in the quality standards for fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, fats and oils, meats, dairy products, poultry, and eggs. In the processing, preservation, and storage of some food products, the “natural color” may be destroyed. This fact has spurred food processors to develop methods for retaining the best possible color in foods.