Frutarom Natural Colors Business Unit has launched Bright’n Free Red Rosy, a clean-label, all-natural red color range for plant-based meat analogs. The new line is plant-sourced, allergen- and E-number-free, and allows manufacturers to create products that closely mimic the color of meat.

“We help food manufacturers develop meat analog products by offering customized solutions of natural red coloring, enabling ‘free-from’ and clean-label products that [are suitable for] a range of consumers who prefer to adopt healthier eating habits,” says Thierry Gay, Technical Sales Director of Frutarom Natural Colors Europe.

According to Innova Market Insights, the meat substitutes market has moved strongly toward a vegan positioning over the past years, with nearly 60 percent of launches in 2016 carrying this type of claim. These products use a variety of non-meat ingredients, including soy, vegetables, algae, grains and pulses.

Vegan claims are increasing in foods and beverages, with the market penetration tripling from 2012 to 2016, with +14 percent CAGR in 2012-2016 meat alternatives, reports Innova.

The “flexitarian” effect is also pushing vegan/vegetarian products, including meat substitutes and dairy alternatives that target mainstream consumers. Growth in flexitarianism reported last year was 69 percent in Germany, 53 percent in the UK and 38 percent in the US for consumers who reported eating meatless meals at least once a week in 2016.

Frutarom’s Bright’n Free Red Rosy color line is specifically optimized for vegan/vegetarian meat analog applications. According to the company, it is highly heat-stable and suitable for items such as grilled, raw-cured and par-cooked vegetarian sausages and other foods that have to undergo a long cooking process.

The new red color line is derived from simple, natural vegetable sources, allowing for transparent labeling. It is kosher-certified and available in a palm-free form. There is no selective extraction; the ingredient is a simple concentration of squeezed plant juices rich in the natural antioxidant pigment anthocyanin.

“We identified a natural source of anthocyanin that is less pH-sensitive. It is important to regulate the pH of the meat or meat analogs at around 5.3. Otherwise it turns bluish,” adds Gay. “The main challenge in coloring plant-based meat analogs is to find the right balance between heat stability and maintaining the desired shade of color. Most existing natural solutions are based on red beet colors [betanin], which are not the typical red consumers expect in meat substitutes.” 

“Our selected plant-based/ vegetable ingredient is more stable than betanin, allowing meat analog producers to use it in longer cooking processes,” Gay tells journalist 
 
“Bright’n Free Red Rosy will help food manufacturers to develop new plant-based meat analogs that look like pink meat and at the same time keep them closer to nature, since it contains only simple, natural ingredients. It certainly answers the growing trend toward natural and clean-label products,” Gay adds.

Speaking about the company’s next goals, Gay tells journalist“At R&D level we are continuously seeking new raw material sources with plant breeding companies to improve pH acceptance as well as to improve the flavor profile of our coloring ingredients, allowing their use in new application fields such as beverages.”