Clean label red: Chr. Hansen expands its natural colors portfolio

29 Nov 2018 --- Chr. Hansen has developed a “vibrant and minimally processed” red vegetable juice with coloring benefits, that can be labeled simply as fruit and vegetable juices, making it a clean label option. The new color product, FruitMax reds, overcomes the “technical constraints” surrounding the creation of a stable and vibrant color that come with naturally sourced red solutions, according to the company.

The fastest growing color types in the industry are colors based on fruit, vegetable or edible plant concentrates. A key driver of this growth is the natural ingredient and clean label tag that can accompany them, the company notes.

“'No additives and preservatives’ is the top claim on product launches globally today. Transparency on labeling is no longer a choice; it’s a necessity to remain relevant and competitive. We develop solutions that answer to these demands and we work side-by-side with our customers before, during and after the development process,” says Pernille Arskog, Senior Manager, Global Marketing at Chr. Hansen.

Available globally, the colors can be used in confectionery, water ice, bakery and bakery decorations, fruit preparation and fermented milk products.

“Our FruitMax reds have been developed to solve some of the major challenges with natural red colors that exist in the industry today. They provide a stable, vThe fastest growing color types in the industry are colors based on fruit, vegetable or edible plant concentrates.ibrant red shade without tending to create an off-flavor like red radish concentrates,” says Klaus Bjerrum, Executive Vice President, Natural Colors.

The shades fill the need in the market for a stable bright “strawberry” red hue that can be used in less acidic food products such as cakes, milkshakes and smoothies, Arskog explains. In this way, they are an alternative to synthetic red colors and carmine. They are more stable than red beet concentrates that turn brown when subjected to heat and are less pH sensitive than other reds based on anthocyanins which are known to turn greyish at neutral pH, she continues.

In a recent interview with FoodIngredientsFirst, new Chr Hansen CEO, Mauricio Graber, spoke about the key areas of focus and development for the company, noting also strong Q4 figures.

The Danish-headquartered company announced that it had achieved all the overall financial targets set at the beginning of the year and raised its ambitions 9-11 percent organic growth for next year. Chr. Hansen has a turnover of €1.1bn with 7 percent of this being reinvested back into R&D.

While the Natural Colors business was slightly below the company’s expectations with only a 6 percent growth noted in Q4, Graber says that he expects that it will benefit in the longer term from the trend towards natural conversions and come back to 10 percent growth.

Regarding the company’s other core businesses, Food Cultures & Enzymes reported a 12 percent growth for Q4 and the full year, Health and Nutrition also delivered growth of 10 percent.