Colours
The use of colours in soft drinks serves several important
functions. First colour makes the product more aesthetically
appealing. Secondly it helps to correct for natural variations in
colour or for changes during processing or storage. Thirdly it
helps preserve the identity or character by which drinks are
recognised.
There are basically three types of colourings: natural colours,
artificial colours, and caramels.
Natural colours
These type of colourings can be extracted from plants, fruits
and vegetables. Natural colours can also be manufactured
synthetically. This is because specific colours are required for
different products, and the suitability of solely natural colours
for the wide range of soft drinks may be limited. Natural colours
break down into two main categories:
Carotenoids
These are a range of naturally occurring yellow to orange
colours, which can be extracted from plants. The best known
carotenoid is beta-carotene, which is predominantly responsible for
the colour of carrots
Anthocyanins
These range in colour from bright red to purple. The major
source is in grapeskins but they can be obtained commercially from
a range of fruits and vegetables.
Artificial colours
Artificial colours are used at low levels so that a full range
of colours can be obtained, e.g blue, green, red, yellow etc. All
of the permitted artificial colours used in soft drinks have been
thoroughly tested and approved as safe. However, due to increasing
consumer preference for natural colours, the trend in the UK market
in recent years has been for manufacturers and retailers to reduce
the use of artificial colours in their products.
Caramels
Caramels are one of the oldest and most widely used colours.
They are used in cola and ginger ale drinks and can also be used in
beer and shandies
Legislation
The use of colours in the UK must comply with the UK Colours
Regulations 1995 which implement the EU Colours Directive
(94/36/EC). All permitted colours are listed in the legislation
with specified limits at ready to drink strength.