Lycored Explores Stability in Natural Colors for Fruit Preparations

29 Jun 2017 --- Lycored has released test results demonstrating the excellent stability of its True to Fruit natural colors in fruit preparations for yogurts, and in flavored sparkling waters.

The carotenoid leader showcased data from two scientific trials at IFT17 in Las Vegas this week. One shows that its natural colorants perform better than alternatives in fruit preparations for yogurts. The other demonstrates their resistance to fade, ringing and sedimentation in sparkling flavored waters.

Preventing Migration and Fade in Fruit-Layered Yogurts
Lycored first set out to explore the stability of its lycopene and betacarotene-derived colorants in fruit preparations in four varieties of fruit preparations layered on yogurt. It compared their performance with other natural colorants, such as paprika, carmine and carrot concentrate, as well as fruit preparations containing no color. The tests replicated the temperature and light conditions of a typical retail environment over 30 days.

In the yogurt containing lemon preparation, there was significant fade and migration in the sample colored with paprika, compared with the sample colored with Lyc-O-Beta Clear Emulsion. In the strawberry samples, there was severe migration from the carmine-based colorant, compared with the samples colored with Tomat-O-Red NGNS and Tomat-O-Red FP. There was also significant fade and distortion from the sample containing fruit preparation with no color, highlighting the need for colors to be added to fruit preparations to deliver consumer appeal.

Lycored then tested Tomat-O-Red and Lyc-O-Beta in yogurts in 100kg batches in an industrial environment. In each of the samples, Lycored’s colors remained stable at various temperatures up to 90OC for over 30 minutes’ holding time, demonstrating that they are process stable, even when subjected to high heat levels.

Stability in Flavored Beverages
In the second trial Lycored tested the performance of its natural colors in flavored and colored sparkling waters – one of the beverage categories for which they are ideal.

Researchers assessed the stability of three Tomat-O-Red and four Lyc-O-Beta variants in sparkling water containing strawberry-flavored syrup over a 12-month shelf life.

Each sample was checked at regular intervals. Both Tomat-O-Red (R) and Lyc-O-Beta (R) delivered excellent performance, demonstrating resistance to fading, ringing and lack of sedimentation.

Tammi Higgins, Business Unit Head, Colors at Lycored said: “Every day we are learning more about the possibilities offered by our natural colorants, showing that they demonstrate stability in a growing number of applications. There is a long-standing perception that natural colors are hard to work with, or do not perform to the level of artificial alternatives. We are working towards a day when that is a thing of the past.”

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Profile Directory On Food Ingredients First

Lycored SARL

Lycored is a global leader in lycopene-based color and taste enhancing ingredients for food and beverages, from nature. Fully vertically integrated, Lycored’s colorants are proven for stability in beverages, plant based meats, UHT dairy, coated confectionery and gummies, fruit preparations for yogurts and surimi seafood. Lycoreds super stable colors (red to yellow to orange) are pH independent, taste neutral, stable to temperature, light and typical processes and are non-GMO, allergen free, vegan, kosher and halal.

Lycored – the global leader in natural carotenoids

Lycored is the global leader in natural carotenoids for food, beverage and dietary supplement products. Established in 1995, we develop and supply ingredients in four main market areas: colorings, taste & texture enhancers, active health & wellness, and nutritional premixes.

Natural colorings

Natural colorings are a must for any food and beverage manufacturer but they can be difficult to work with, since they sometimes produce inconsistent results. With our Tomat-O-Red® and Lyc-O-Beta® natural red, orange and yellow colorings, you can be confident of achieving the authentic appearance you desire in your products time after time. Tomat-O-Red® is created using tomato derived lycopene and offers a more technically sound red coloring alternative to unstable beetroot and anthocyanins, and also carmine, which is not vegetarian-friendly. Lyc-O-Beta® is sourced from Blakeslea trispora, a beta-carotene-rich, allergen-free natural fungus cultivated by Lycored. Both color ranges are available in liquid form and Lyc-O-Beta® is also available as a water-soluble powder. They are approved for use as food colorants in the EU, US, Japan and Australia. They are also certified Kosher and Halal, non-GMO, vegetarian and are heat, light and pH stable.

Taste & texture improvers

Great taste is what keeps consumers coming back for more – and it’s within easy reach with Lycored’s portfolio of ingredients for natural taste and texture improvement, all of which qualify for a simple foodstuff declaration on the label – just ‘tomato’. Within the range, SANTE offers a balanced roundness, intensity and lingering flavour in almost any food application, while our new Dry Tomato Pulp combines an authentically fresh and vibrant red color with a stable texture for red sauces (including pasta sauces), ketchups and soups. Our Lyco-Fibers are an excellent way to naturally modify pulpiness, viscosity and mouthfeel, with declarable fiber content, in sauces, soups and meat products.

Active health & wellness

For Lycored, nutrition isn’t complicated – it’s natural. It all just starts with a seed – our seed. At the heart of our business is our hero ingredient, Lyc-O-Mato®, a patented tomato extract that’s rich in lycopene and a range of other phytonutrients, including phytoene, phytofluene, beta-carotene, tocopherols and phytosterols. Scientific research has shown that the phytonutrient complex in Lyc-O-Mato™ works in synergy with the natural lycopene to offer powerful antioxidant activity and health benefits.

Nutritional pre-mixes for fortification

Lycored also offers nearly 400 fully approved active ingredients suitable for use in pre-mixes. They can enhance the nutritional profile of products and create new positioning opportunities across a range of sectors, including infant formula, dairy, bakery and other staple foods. We’ll create a bespoke pre-mix formulation for your product from our extensive portfolio of vitamins, minerals, botanicals and other functional ingredients, all of which come from trusted and traceable sources. We’ll also ensure encapsulation and delivery methods are optimised for your application, so you can be confident that your end-product will perform just as intended.

We like to play in the dirt

At Lycored we’re proud to say that we know where all of our ingredients come from. They’re carefully grown on lush farms, where our farmers let nature work its magic. After harvesting, we apply gentle processing techniques to extract the active compounds from the raw material, which we use to create our unique and natural ingredient formulations. But we don’t just supply ingredients. We also like to share our expertise and work closely with our customers to support them in using our ingredients to create great products that will really resonate with consumers.

Want to know more?

Contact us today to find out more about the fantastic potential of Lycored’s natural ingredients. Discover the World of Heart + Soil. http://www.lycored.com