GNT’s paprika oil opens up new opportunities for orange F&B in fat-based and low-water applications

04 May 2023 --- Exberry by GNT has developed a purely oil-based Coloring Food, enabling manufacturers to achieve vibrant orange shades in applications with low water content. 

Made from paprika seed oil and pulp, Exberry Shade Vivid Orange – OS was created to meet the global demand for low-dosage, clean label coloring ingredients that deliver bright orange hues.

The new product has a high color intensity that makes it ideal for applications for which high dosage levels are an issue, including oil coatings for snacks, decorative coatings, and sauces such as mayonnaise. It is suitable for use in many markets and provides good overall application performance.

Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Sabrina Moers, marketing communication coordinator at GNT Group, says orange is an uplifting color that’s associated with health and happiness. “It can be used to showcase flavors from healthy fruits, vegetables and plants, from citrus fruits to pumpkins to turmeric, ginger and paprika.”

Orange is a versatile shade that can be used to send out different messages. It’s the color of fall and harvest and lends itself to spices and Eastern flavors in savory products, Moers details. “In sweet products, it can signal joy, sunshine and the tropics. Solar-charged neon orange, for example, is perfect for a young, upbeat vibe.”

Coloring Foods are suitable for almost any food and beverage application, but it had previously been technically challenging to achieve vibrant orange hues in certain low-water and fat-based applications. For products such as oil-based snack coatings, for example, manufacturers are often unable to use a color dosage above 1-2%. This meant they were not always able to get the results they need, so they had to use artificial colors or paprika oleoresin.

According to Moers, Exberry Shade Vivid Orange – OS provides the solution. “It’s our first purely oil-based Coloring Food. It’s made from paprika seed oil and paprika pulp and has exceptionally high color intensity, which makes it possible to achieve bright shades in these challenging applications.”

“Exberry Shade Vivid Orange – OS is an innovation that fills a clear gap in the market, offering an effective alternative to artificial colors and paprika oleoresin across a broad array of applications. Its exceptional color intensity means it can provide visual differentiation while maintaining completely clean and clear labels,” says GNT’s Sonja Scheffler, head of product management.

Plant-based color
Exberry Coloring Foods are created from edible fruits, vegetables and plants using physical processes and no chemical solvents. 

“Exberry Coloring Foods are plant-based concentrates that support completely clean and clear labels. They’re made from edible fruits, vegetables, and plants using physical processing methods, so they don’t require E numbers under EU regulations,” adds Moers.

Exberry Shade Vivid Orange – OS is a clean label coloring ingredient that delivers bright orange hues.Due to how they are made, these plant-based products are considered food ingredients rather than additives within the European Union. As such, Exberry Shade Vivid Orange – OS can be described on the ingredient list simply as “Coloring Food (paprika oil).”

Exberry colors are available in various formats and can deliver shades from across the rainbow in almost any F&B application.

The Exberry range contains hundreds of products in different formats designed to suit individual project requirements, Moers adds. “Exberry Shade Vivid Orange – OS has been developed especially for fat-based and low-water applications. It can be used in applications including snack seasonings, bakery products, plant-based meats and cheeses, dips and dressings, frostings and decorative coatings, cheese sauces, breadings, and various processed meat and fish products.”

Color evokes identity 
Last month, FoodIngredientsFirst spoke with GNT Europa’s technical sales manager, Teresa Fischer, during ISM and ProSweets. Industry players reveal that labeling and transparency on product origins, sustainability and the importance of color in chocolate are increasingly significant for food innovators and consumers.

“Consumers are paying more attention to labels than ever and want to see ingredients they know and trust. As a result, artificial ingredients – especially colors – can significantly limit products’ appeal,” said Fischer. 

Moreover, the color space has experienced a shift away from a one-size-fits-all approach. Color is being used to represent identity while social media drives innovation as consumers want vibrant, bright and eye-catching F&B. Manufacturers and brands continue to move toward natural colors that are more sustainable and hit the mark on clean label. 

In November, GNT identified a trend of consumer demand, dubbed “Healthy Hedonism,” characterized as a surge in demand for eye-catching products that are good for people and the planet. GNT hopes to capitalize on this trend with its bright, plant-based Exberry colors.

By Elizabeth Green