New raw material for pink/violet shades

Wild Flavours has introduced a new raw material as a source for the pink/violet shade – the purple sweet potato. With the purple sweet potato containing anthocyanin, Wild can now provide a broader range of purple shades to meet the food and beverages industries’ demand for natural colours.

Wild is always looking for new resources of raw materials, and is constantly undertaking research to be able to produce new color nuances. Using the product gained from the purple sweet potato, the company now offers an even broader selection in its Colours from Nature range, allowing producers to meet the consumers’ demand for all-natural food and beverages. This anthocyanin source results in an attractive pink raspberry colour with no undesirable aftertaste or scent.

The pigments providing colour are selectively extracted from the purple sweet potato. In the list of ingredients for the final product, the purple shade is indicated with the E number E163 and by the name of the colour, anthocyanin. The colour is water soluble and is characterised by good heat, light and acid stability.

With the new colour, manufacturers can develop food and beverages in various shades, from pink to purple. It is suitable for use in a host of food and beverage applications, ranging from confectionery products, such as hard candies or fruit gums, to beverages such as berry, cherry or red fruit flavoured drinks, clear or cloudy products.

Like other anthocyanins, manufacturers can apply the new raspberry shade in a technically straightforward manner. It is produced at Wild in Valencia, where the core competency is developing and producing red colouring foodstuffs and natural colours from fruit and vegetables. Vertical integration ensures that the required raw materials are always available in high, standardised quality. In addition to the red colour portfolio for Wild’s Colours from Nature range, the product portfolio covers fruit juice concentrates, natural fruit sweetening systems, and plant extracts.

Purple sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a climbing plant that is only distantly related to potatoes. It has a deep purple, ink coloured skin and originates from Latin America, where the Incas cultivated this robust plant on Lake Titicaca and in the Andes regions of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador more than 8,000 years ago. With its resilience and the large number of varieties, it continues to be cultivated in the 21st century, mainly in Asia. The purple sweet potato is usually harvested in Autumn, and due to its nutrients and high energy value, this food still remains popular today.

Unlike the white potato, the purple sweet potato is rich in anthocyanins. This makes it an ideal source for various pink and purple colour shades.