What is Food Coloring?

     Food Coloring is a flavorless visual appeal that is added to food in order to make the food look better. Large amounts of food coloring are used often by big companies in order to market their product and make them a bit more attractive and vivid. Most of our food is colored including baked goods, produce, dairy, and even our meats, But you may ask the question: What are all of the food dyes made of?

(“Rainbow Cake”)    

     Red food coloring is made from an insect called the Cochineal insect. The Cochineal insect lives in South and North America mainly in the Tropica and subtropics. They eat and get their nutrients from plants including cacti. The Cochineal's life span often ranges from 70-90 days. 

    (“Cochineal Insect Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images”)

    Blue food coloring is often made from an oil base but water, propylene glycol, citric acid, and sodium benzoate are also found as ingredients in blue food coloring. Propylene glycol is typically found in natural gas, petroleum and, can also be found in plants. Citric acid is found in citrus fruit. Sodium Benzoate is commonly a man-made product but can also be found in many plants.

 (“Chefmaster 10.5 Oz. Royal Blue Liqua-Gel Food Coloring”)

    Yellow food coloring is made from Tartrazine, Tartrazine is made from petroleum products and is artificial. 

(“Egg Yellow Food Coloring - 1 Gallon”)

Bibliography:

Booth, Stephanie. “What Is Citric Acid?” WebMD, www.webmd.com/diet/what-is-citric-acid#:~:text=Foods%20that%20are%20high%20in.

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. “Overview of Food Ingredients, Additives & Colors.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2019, www.fda.gov/food/food-ingredients-packaging/overview-food-ingredients-additives-colors#qa.

“Chefmaster 10.5 Oz. Royal Blue Liqua-Gel Food Coloring.” WebstaurantStore, www.webstaurantstore.com/chefmaster-10-5-oz-royal-blue-liqua-gel-food-coloring/725CM5415.html. Accessed 28 Nov. 2022.

“Cochineal Insect Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images.” Www.gettyimages.com, www.gettyimages.com/photos/cochineal-insect. Accessed 28 Nov. 2022.

“Egg Yellow Food Coloring - 1 Gallon.” WebstaurantStore, www.webstaurantstore.com/egg-yellow-food-coloring-1-gallon/125FDCOLORYW.html. Accessed 28 Nov. 2022.

“Rainbow Cake.” Goldbelly, www.goldbelly.com/carlos-bakery/rainbow-cake. Accessed 28 Nov. 2022.

Rohrig, Brian. “The Chemistry of Food Colorings - American Chemical Society.” American Chemical Society, Oct. 2015, www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/past-issues/2015-2016/october-2015/food-colorings.html.

“Sodium Benzoate: Uses, Dangers, and Safety.” Healthline, 21 Jan. 2019, www.healthline.com/nutrition/sodium-benzoate#:~:text=Sodium%20benzoate%20does%20not%20occur.

“Tartrazine - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.” Sciencedirect.com, 2010, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/tartrazine.

“What to Know about Propylene Glycol in Foods.” WebMD, www.webmd.com/diet/what-to-know-about-propylene-glycol-in-foods.