Roha launches Natracol Ultra Cran Red as an alternative to carmine in dairy products

26-Mar-2017 - Last updated on 28-Mar-2017 at 06:49 GMT

Indian company Roha has launched Natracol Ultra Cran Red, for pink, orange and red dairy product food coloring, which Roha says is in response to greater demand for natural food coloring.

Indian food company Roha Dyechem Pvt Ltd has created Natracol Ultra Cran Red (UCR), which it says capitalizes on the trend to move from synthetic dairy food colorants to natural ones.

Roha says the colorant is a natural replacement for the commonly-used ingredient carmine.

Applicable to dairy

The company said Roha Natracol Ultra Cran Red is applicable to dairy products as it readily disperses in dairy liquids to produce a ‘vibrant shade’ and has the ability to provide various shades of red from light pink to orange to red.

It added that Natracol Ultra Cran Red is a suitable replacement for FD&C Red 40 for ice creams and frozen desserts.

The product also works effectively with a variable range of pH and is more cost effective than lycopene, it said.

UCR is also highly stable to exposure to light and disperses effectively in milk giving a range of stable coloring. Unlike carmine, it is Halal and Kosher certified in all countries.

Product advantages

Roha managing director Brijesh Tibrewala said Roha Dyechem has consistently endeavored to create innovative products for the food coloring industry.

“With the launch of Natracol Ultra Cran Red, Roha has tried and created an awareness that natural colors can be taken to a customized and sustainable level and can be effectively used for frozen desserts and dairy products for its various advantages over the existing options,” Tibrewala said.

Vice president of global colour application and R&D, Byron Madkins, said most red colorants are based on carmine, which as a food ingredient is “causing a fair bit of discomfort to the sensibilities of consumers and is facing regulatory and consumer concerns.

“Also due to the almost neutral pH of milk, most natural colors either provide shades of red tilting more towards bluish red and purple or have stability issues towards pH, heat and light,” Madkins said.

Global company

Roha is headquartered in the Roha district of Maharashtra in India.

It has a global staff of more than 1,000, and 13 manufacturing plants in the US, UK, Spain, South Africa, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Egypt, Brazil, Australia and Mexico, as well as application support laboratories and 23 offices.