Natural Colours Best For Colour Retention

06 Mar 2015 --- US company, DDW, “The Color House” has completed research on the stability of natural coloring in two select bakery applications. Scientists at DDW’s R&D laboratory in Louisville have learned which natural colorings provide the best potential for color retention. The study included various types of annatto extract, turmeric oleoresin, caramel color and beta-carotene in cookies and crackers.

In cookies, DDW tested nine colorings at two concentrations under two storage conditions (frozen and accelerated) to obtain 36 cookie samples for comparison.

In crackers, DDW tested eleven colorings in two cracker types (soda and laminated) at two concentrations under two storage conditions (frozen and accelerated) to obtain 88 cracker samples for comparison.

“The concentration of some colorings, such as annatto extract, can affect how much the final cookie color changes over time,” said Katie Queen, Associate Application Scientist. “We learned that, in some cases, the color stability in a baked good can be increased simply by changing the amount of coloring added,” added Queen.

Product developers of cookies and crackers can contact DDW to schedule a thorough presentation of the research design, results, photos and formulation recommendations.