“Natural color is a growth industry,” says Ted Nixon, president, D.D. Williamson, Louisville, Ky., a producer of caramel colors. Europeans and Asians have focused on it. All food categories that currently use caramel colors can also benefit from natural colors. “We have done many [caramel-natural color] blends,” says Nixon. “That's how we began our partnership with Anaheim, Calif.-based ColorMaker, a producer of natural colors. For example, we would work with a caramel color customer who wants a redder brown.”
“Caramel dovetails with what natural colors can do,” says Stephen Lauro, director, technical services, ColorMaker. “Caramel color added to basic natural color systems gives a deeper, richer, more intense color sensation.” For example, if a customer wants a strawberry red, they can use beet powder, anthocyanins or carmine to get red, but all these colors have blue tones. Adding a yellow caramel color adds depth and produces a strawberry red color.