Danish headquartered Oterra natural colours business has unveiled its latest clean label offering in the form of its FruitMax Purple 105 for the confectionery market, reports Neill Barston.
The application, which is also targeting the beverage market, has been devised with a core focus on superior stability, developed from a blended combination of black carrot and hibiscus concentrates, bringing the best of both raw materials.
“It is flavour neutral and has enviable stability when exposed to heat, light and low pH conditions, and its recognisable ingredients appeal to customers as well,” said Phil Cook, Head of Strategic Marketing at Oterra.
Within confectionary it performs well in gummies/jellies, hard candy and chewy candy, added Phil. “We see a great use for it in berry-themed beverages and confectionery,” he said.
“Black carrot can create a deep, stable purple shade, while the hibiscus is super popular with younger consumers and is well known from its use in teas and other products with a wellness halo, so is great for clean label uses as it is recognisable and is appreciated as a natural product.”
According to a survey by Oterra, Purple is popular with the young and adventurous. Gen Z favoured purple more than any other colour, while 92% of those who liked purple were open to trying new foods (70% said they were ‘Adventurous’ or ‘Very Adventurous’). Nearly 80% of those surveyed said they found purple foods appealing.
The FruitMax Purple 105 line has been approved for US in EU and Codex countries and can be labeled in the EU as “Black carrot concentrate. Hibiscus extract” and in CODEX countries as “Black carrot concentrate, and Hibiscus concentrate”.