Candy is a sweet solid food made from various sugars (white sugar, liquid syrup) as raw materials, boiled at high temperature and added with food additives, and then processed through blending, cooling, molding, and other processes. In today’s candy sales market, there are over 12000 varieties and it holds an important position in the food industry.
Food color is an important evaluation factor in food sensory assessment, which can be used to identify and evaluate the freshness of food. Natural, warm, and harmonious colors often enhance people’s appetite. To avoid the loss of color in food and maintain its good sensory characteristics, food coloring is usually added to enhance its sensory properties, meet consumer needs, and increase its economic value. The commonly used edible pigments can be divided into two categories: artificially synthesized pigments, pigments synthesized by chemical methods; and Natural pigments, extracted from the bodies of animals and plants or obtained through microbial metabolism.
The addition of food coloring in candy products not only enhances the sensory characteristics of the products and gives them rich colors, but also increases the economic value of the products. People often prioritize color over flavor when choosing candy products. For candy ingredients, most of the ingredients themselves do not have attractive colors to consumers. The use of pigments gives the ingredients colors that are coordinated with flavor and texture, thereby enhancing the attractiveness of the product. Therefore, food coloring plays a very important role in improving the economic value of candy.
The use of pigments in candy products
Through the investigation and analysis of the edible pigments in 140 kinds of candy products of 52 brands sold on China’s Internet platform, the following conclusions are drawn: 33 kinds of edible pigments are contained in 140 kinds of candy products, and the utilization rate of edible pigments is 69%; There are 33 types of pigments used, including 20 synthetic pigments (60.6%) and 13 natural pigments (39.4%).
Problems with the use of food coloring in candies
The cost of artificially synthesized pigments is low, and the use of edible pigments in candy production exceeds the scope and dosage, without following relevant national standards and regulations for use and labeling; Repeated use of multiple pigments; Synthetic pigments pose potential threats such as carcinogenicity, teratogenicity, mutagenicity, malnutrition, and allergic reactions.
The rapid development of natural coloring
In recent years, natural food coloring has developed rapidly and has been widely used in various foods such as beverages, candies, bread, etc. The main reason for this is that natural coloring is extracted from animal and plant tissues and has the advantages of high safety and environmental friendliness compared to artificially synthesized coloring; Originating from the natural environment and possesses certain nutritional value; Has certain pharmacological and physiological functions, and has preventive and therapeutic effects on certain diseases, such as anthocyanins, zeaxanthin, lycopene, etc; Natural colors have a soft and natural color tone, closer to the natural color of food, and have a high acceptance rate among consumers; Natural colors come from the natural environment and are highly accepted by consumers. Therefore, the application of Natural colors in candy products is becoming increasingly widespread, which has a positive significance for the green development of the food industry and the improvement of residents’ physical fitness.
