Time For A Shift Towards Natural Colours

The Karnataka Government has prohibited the use of Artificial colouring agents in the preparation of vegetarian, chicken and fish kebabs in the state, saying it can have a serious impact on the health of the public. 39 samples of kebabs were subjected to tests in the laboratory and 8 variants of kebabs were found to have harmful Artificial colours like Sunset Yellow and Carmoisine.

Announcing the decision on X (formerly Twitter), the State’s Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the food vendors violating the rule will be dealt with “serious action” including seven years of jail time and a fine of up to Rs. 10 lakhs. “Artificial colours are harmful to the body and can cause adverse health effects”, he said.

The use of any Artificial colours in the preparation of kebabs is not permitted under Rule 16 of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011.

Earlier in March, the State Government prohibited the usage of Artificial colours in ‘Gobi Manchurian’ and ‘Cotton Candy’ as their usage causes adverse effects on public health, especially children.

The battle against Artificial food colours has been ongoing for decades, spurred by concerns over health impacts. With expertise in extraction, isolation, and blending, Mane Kancor is at the forefront, offering a diverse range of Natural Colour solutions (C-CAPTURE) tailored to specific applications and market needs. Our commitment to ingredient transparency ensures that each product is as label-friendly as possible, meeting the demands of today’s discerning consumers.

At Mane Kancor, we have conducted a study using our C-Capture Sunrise Series on Tandoori chicken marination.

When using Natural Colours in processed meat, technical challenges always persist. These challenges include cost in use, processing conditions, interaction with other ingredients, heat stability (undergo pasteurisation (~ 80°C)), light stability and colour change for various pH values and interaction with oxygen. At Mane Kancor, we have addressed this challenge.

The below study compares artificial dyes (Sunset yellow and Carmoisine blend) with C-CAPTURE’s Sunrise series.

OBJECTIVE:

An application trial in Tandoori chicken comparing sample 1 (coloured using C-CAPTURE Sunrise series) and sample 2 (Coloured using Artificial colour E110+E122)

  1. To compare colour impartation between samples of C-CAPTURE’s Sunrise series and samples using Artificial colour in actual application.
  2. To establish a dosage pattern for Tandoori application.
  3. To check colour stability after grilling.

OBSERVATION:

Pictorial comparison of Natural vs Artificial Colour applied in Tandoori chicken.

CONCLUSION:

  1. It is clear from the above comparison of pictures that the colours of both samples (Sample 1: C-CAPTURE Sunrise series and Sample 2: Artificial colour E110+E122) in marinated stage and after grilling are almost the same.
  2. Sample 1 using C-CAPTURE Sunrise series, gives a more orange appearance.
  3. Dosage requirement for Tandoori application is 250 ppm in the final product.
  4. Colour samples were found stable in grilling at about 120°C.

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