Microbial BiocolorsA healthy alternative to synthetic food colors

Developing new colors for the food industry is challenging, as colorants need to be compatible with a food flavors, safety, and nutritional value, and which ultimately have a minimal impact on the price of the product.

- Pooja Nikhanj

 In addition, food colorants should preferably be natural rather than synthetic compounds. Micro-organisms already produce industrially useful natural colorants such as carotenoids and anthocyanins. Microbial food colorants can be produced at scale at relatively low costs. This article highlights the significance of color in the food industry, why there is a need to shift to natural food colors compared to synthetic ones and how using microbial pigments as food colorants, instead of colors from other natural sources, is a preferable option.

However, the challenges faced by the use and development of food grade microbial pigments can be overcome by using advanced techniques including metabolic engineering and nanotechnology.

Colors are the most pleasing and first parameter to be noticed about any article by the receptor. Artificial or synthetic colors mostly used by the food processing and cosmetic industries are reliable and economical as compared to the natural colorants which are expensive, less stable, and possess lower intensity. Organizations

like the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the European Food Standards Authority (EFSA) have recommended the safe dosage of artificial colors in food, drug and cosmetic items. However, many synthetic colorants have been banned or being banned due to their hyperallergenicity, carcinogenicity and other toxicological problems.

These adverse effects of synthetic colors have made the scientific community skewed towards natural colors. Many research efforts have been made to replace synthetic pigments with natural pigments because nature is a rich source of colored pigment producing organisms including plants, animals and microorganisms.