Merck Recognized for Pearl Effect Colors

The Award is in recognition of Merck’s accomplishments in the food colors sector. Frost & Sullivan’s Best Practices Awards identifies exemplary achievements within a multitude of industries and functional disciplines each year.

Nov 23 2011 --- The 2011 Frost & Sullivan Global Product Differentiation Excellence Award in Food Colors has been presented to Merck KGaA for its Candurin range of pearl effect colors. The Award is in recognition of Merck’s accomplishments in the food colors sector. Frost & Sullivan’s Best Practices Awards identifies exemplary achievements within a multitude of industries and functional disciplines each year.

“With its Candurin range, Merck KGaA has overcome challenges associated with pearlescent pigments, including dust in the food manufacturing center, safety and labelling data, technical support for application development and stability.”, opined the Frost & Sullivan Best Practices team. “The Candurin range of mineral food grade pearl effect colors is a replacement for the ubiquitous color lake and dyes used in chocolates, confectioneries and other foods. In particular, Candurin can effectively replace insoluble artificial colors, thereby perfectly matching the growing market need for natural food ingredients”, the jury concluded. Gold, silver, bronze, blue, red and green color effects can be created with Merck’s Candurin pearl effect colors. The color effects are created out of mineral components – potassium aluminum silicate (mica – E 555), titanium dioxide (E 171) and/or iron oxide (E 172). “Natural and artificial colors cannot recreate the effects of pearlescent sheen or shimmer that Candurin can create in food matrices,” notes Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Dr. Kaushik Ramakrishnan Shankar. “Candurin can be used to create either silky sheen or brilliant glitter and can also be blended with other colors.”

Inclusions of the pigments can be as low as 0.05% depending on the formulation and kind of application being used. Since all the colors are created with just two ingredients which have E-numbers and mica as a color carrier, which need not be included according to EU regulations, labelling is less cumbersome for customers.

Candurin is Kosher and Halal certified. It is non-allergenic based on its composition and properties and is supported by full documentation covering usage directions and labelling instructions. The five-year shelf life, in addition to the inherent stability of the product in varying conditions of pH, temperature and light in the food product that it is applied in, underlines its high quality.

A dedicated application lab for Candurin that can provide technical support for customers including product development is another unique selling point. In addition, on-site support to customers, ability to supply large quantities in a timely manner and positioning in pharmaceuticals for supporting anti-counterfeiting add to the perception of Candurin being a unique brand.

“Merck’s distinctive brand name recognition, in addition to its production process, is unmatched,” says Dr. Shankar. “The key differentiator in quality is the vast experience that Merck has in producing and supplying pearlescent pigments for other applications; Candurin is currently the only range of Merck´s colors which is marketed in diverse applications as food, beverages and pharmaceuticals.” “Moreover, it is neutral in taste and odor and does not affect the organoleptic properties of the finished food in any way,” concludes Dr. Shankar. “The unique platelet shape of the pigments ensures that the higher particle size pigments in the range do not develop a gritty or sandy mouth feel in comparison to spherical-shaped pigments or other insoluble food additives, for example.”

The Product Differentiation Excellence Award is presented to the company that has excelled in the following criteria: developing unique product features/functionality, quality and complexity, customizing the offering, matching target markets needs and promoting brand perception of the uniqueness of the product.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

Merck KGaA will be presenting cutting-edge innovations and successful, well-established products for the food color and analysis segments at this year’s Food Ingredients Europe exhibition, which is taking place from November 29 to December 1 in Paris. The spotlight will be on the new pearl effect color Candurin Red Sparkle and the spectrophotometer Spectroquant Pharo for water analysis.

CandurinRed Sparkle – burgundy red, glittering and mineral-based
“Love at first sight” is the motto that Merck is using to present Candurin Red Sparkle, a burgundy red, glittering pearl effect color with which Merck is expanding its range of pearl effect colors for the food industry. Due to its large particle size, Candurin Red Sparkle makes ice cream, chocolate, baked goods, and beverages glitter brilliantly, lending them an irresistible look. This gives food manufacturers many ways to differentiate their products.

Candurin Red Sparkle is based on natural silicate and iron oxide and is thus a non-artificial colorant like the other mineral-based Candurin pearl effect colors. This enables formulators, food manufacturers and marketers to use the “no artificial colors” claim.

In addition, in contrast to other red, natural colorants, Candurin Red Sparkle has exceptional thermal, light and pH stability. Due to these properties, Candurin Red Sparkle is ideally suited for effectively replacing insoluble red food colorants.

Merck KGaA was recognized for its Candurin pearl effect colors by Frost & Sullivan with the “Global Food Colors Product Differentiation Excellence Award” in November 2011.

SpectroquantPharo – new possibilities in water analysis
Merck KGaA will also be showcasing its spectrophotometers Spectroquant Pharo 100 and 300, which offer users virtually unlimited possibilities in water analysis. From now on, they can program their own methods or apply 150 pre-programmed test kits ranging from drinking, surface, process or wastewater to beverages and disinfection control. New and easy-to-use rapid tests for monitoring chemical parameters of incoming raw materials and handling drinking, process and wastewater will also be on display.