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Origin and Description
Properties of Caramel Colour
Other Considerations
Caramel Colour is the dark brown material that results from the carefully controlled heat treatment of food grade carbohydrates. In fact, for many years Caramel Colour was known as "burnt sugar colour."
Caramel Colour is not a flavor but simply a colouring agent. When Caramel Colour is used at the usual low concentrations required in most food colouring applications, it generally has no significant effect on the flavor profile of the finished product. For those special products with delicate flavor profiles, Sethness-Roquette has developed Caramel Colour with a bland taste even at more concentrated levels.
Caramel Colour is defined and regulated as a food colour additive. The amount of Caramel Colour which can be used in food is limited only by good manufacturing practices.
Caramel Colour Classes:
Internationally the joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) has divided Caramel Colour into four classes depending on the food grade reactants used in its manufacturing:
* E150a Class I is Plain Caramel Colour
* E150b Class II is Caustic Sulfite Process Caramel Colour
* E150c Class III is Ammonia Process Caramel Colour
* E150d Class IV is Sulfite Ammonia Process Caramel Colour
Tests on these classes of Caramel Colour have supported the safety of the product.
Labeling Issues:
On the ingredient statement of a food product, Caramel Colour can be listed simply as "CARAMEL colour" or declared as "ARTIFICIAL colour". Caramel Colour is a single additive, so its compositional constituents do not need to be listed in the ingredient statement of the final food product.
Colour Strength and Hue:
The colour strength of Caramel Colour is defined as its Tinctorial Power, KO.56. This is the absorbance of a 0.1% weight/volume solution measured through a 1cm light path at a wavelength of 560 nanometers (nm) using a high quality spectrophotometer. The higher the value of the absorbance, the tinctorial power, KO.56, the darker the Caramel Colour.
The colour tone of the Caramel Colour is also important. This is defined by the Hue Index, which is the measure of the colour hue or red characteristics of the Caramel Colour. It is a function of the absorbance at 510 and 610 nm. Generally, the higher the Tinctorial Power, KO.56, the lower the Hue Index and the lower the red tones.
Specific Gravity:
The baumé of Caramel Colour is a method of measuring specific gravity which in turn reflects the weight/liter of the product. The specific gravity of liquid caramel colours ranges from 1.25 - 1.38, corresponding to a range of about 1.244 - 1.376 kg/l. The corresponding dry substance content of the liquid Caramel Colour varies from about 50 - 70%.
pH Considerations:
The pH of Caramel Colour is important in some applications where it may influence the compatibility and functionality of the other components of the finished food or beverage by influencing the pH of the final product. However, Caramel Colour has good functionality across a wide range of pH from 2 - 10. Most Caramel Colour ranges in pH from 2.0 - 5.0, although Caramel Colour which has been neutralized prior to spray drying may have a pH of about 8. Commercial liquid Caramel Colour should have a pH below 5.0 to provide good microbiological stability.
Ionic Charge:
Caramel Colour molecules carry ionic (electrochemical) charges which may be either positive or negative depending upon the processing conditions of a particular product. Most of the Caramel Colour used today is anionic or negatively charged. However, there are specific applications where cationic or positively charged Caramel Colour is required, particularly in applications where it comes in contact with proteins as in beer and meat products. Often colour precipitation, flocculation, or migration problems can be eliminated with the use of an appropriately charged Caramel Colour.
Sulfite Considerations:
The majority of the Caramel Colour used today is anionic or negatively charged. This product is manufactured using sulfite reactants and contains some sulfite as detected by the method specified by the US Food and Drug Administration in its sulfite labeling regulations. While the amount of Caramel Colour typically used in foods and beverages is a very low percentage of the total ingredients, the sulfite contributed by the Caramel Colour must be taken into account when considering sulfite labeling for compliance. Because of sulfite regulations, there is sometimes a need for a low sulfite Caramel Colour. Positively charged Caramel Colour is manufactured without sulfite reactants and thus has a low sulfite content. A complete line of low sulfite, positively charged Caramel Colour has been developed to assist food processors in keeping the sulfite content of their formulated food products to a minimum.
Caramel Colour In High Alcohol or High Salt Systems:
There are also specific products which require Caramel Colour which is stable in high salt, high alcohol concentrations. Caramel Colour with these properties is available for such applications.
Viscosity:
Since the viscosity of Caramel Colour can vary, it is important to realize the viscosity is not a reflection of the colour strength of the Caramel Colour. In fact, high Tinctorial Power, KO.56 double strength Caramel Colour is low in viscosity. Low viscosity Caramel Colour is easier to handle, generally dissolves faster, and has greater stability and shelf life.
Microbiological Stability:
Caramel Colour has excellent microbiological stability. As Caramel Colour is manufactured under very high temperatures and pressure conditions, the resulting products is essentially commercially sterile. The microbiological stability of Caramel Colour is attributed to the high processing temperatures, high acidity, high osmotic pressure, and high specific gravity of the products. It will not support microbial growth in its undiluted form.
Single Strength and Double Strength:
In recent years, beverage manufacturers have increased their use of double strength Caramel Colour. The terms "single strength" and "double strength" are general terms describing the relative colour strength of caramel and may cover different ranges of colour. Double strength Caramel Colour was originally developed for use in dietetic beverages as it reduces the caloric content contributed to the beverage by the Caramel Colour to about 25% of that contributed by a single strength colour. However, double strength Caramel Colour also offers greater cost efficiency, which has contributed to its rapid acceptance.
Acid Proof Caramel Colour:
The term "acid proof" relates to the use of Caramel Colour in carbonated beverages. The term means the Caramel Colour is stable in a beverage concentrate where it is combined with phosphoric acid and must remain stable for several months. Virtually all of the Caramel Colour manufactured by Sethness-Roquette is "acid proof", even that colour not specifically formulated for soft drinks.
Additional Functionalities of Caramel Colour:
Although its primary function is that of colouring, Caramel Colour contributes additional functionalities in various food systems. For example, in soft drinks the Caramel Colour's light protective quality can aid in preventing oxidation of the flavoring components in bottled beverages as well as functioning as an emulsifying agent and helping retard the formation of certain types of "floc".
