New TasteTech design protects paprika in acid formulations

Consumer demand for ethnic foods, itself driven by globalisation, travel and more adventurous tastebuds, is stimulating the food industry to design food products that target this growing market. In the UK alone, ethnic meals - Indian, Chinese and other Asian - now account for more than 40 per cent of the chilled ready meals sector.

Parallel to this growth is that of natural ingredients - on the back of the functional food trend - that sees food makers turning to more expensive colouring foodstuffs to replace artificial equivalents in their product formulations. According to Frost and Sullivan analyst Lyndsey Greig, natural colourings are looking at 10 per cent to 15 per cent growth in Europe between 2001 and 2008, compared to 1 per cent growth in the overall European colouring market.

But a barrier for using the natural foodstuffs in formulations is their delicate profile. "Artificial colourings are robust and stable, whereas natural colourings, such as paprika and tumeric, are more susceptible,"​ Derek Pulford, technical liaison manager at TasteTech.

The firm used its established controlled release (CR) technology to allow paprika and tumeric to survive the harsh conditions of an acidic low pH dressing. A protective microfilm of vegetable oil stops the delicate colourings from being attacked by the acidity, that would otherwise turn the colours from bright orange to pale yellow.

"The spices are only released from the microfilm when the sauce is cooked,"​ added Pulford, explaining that the release mechanism will only function in cooked food products because the heat has to melt the oil coating.

Rolling out with paprika and tumeric, TasteTech​ are currently looking at other natural colourings.