“Quantum Colours is among the top colour suppliers.”

While Quantum Colours primarily supplies synthetic colours to the food industry, we have also recognised the value in offering a wider selection of solutions to our customer base. Realising the advantages in making the change to natural colours, and managing this change, is often a challenge.

Primary Colours :

Quantum Colours has sourced viable solutions for various application areas and has also developed our own offering called Glacier for use beyond coating systems for pharmaceutical applications into the food industry.

Our primary colours are both Kosher and Halaal certified and also available as FDA (+) approved and certified as well as in various blended shades.

Some typical food applications: Ice Cream, Snack Foods, Soft Drinks, Sauces, Jams, Sea Food, Dairy Products, Confectionary, Baked Goods, Icings, Dry Pet Food etc.

Water Soluble Powder Primary colours suitable for Food, Pharmaceutical, Cosmetic & Industrial applications:

Food colour is an important property of any food item with red and yellow as chief food colours, grabbing attention.  Red indicates appetizing, ripeness and sweetness.  Yellow, happiness, optimism and good feeling, while Orange is vibrant and suggests vitality.

Quantum Food, Pharmaceutical, Cosmetic & Industrial Colours available: Sunset Yellow, Ponceau, Tartrazine, Carmoisine, Quinoline Yellow, Brillant Blue, Erythrosine, Allura Red, Indigo Carmine, Bronw, Amaranth, Red, Black, Green and Patent Blue.

Blended Colours suitable for Food, Pharmaceutical, Cosmetic & Industrial applications:

Quantum Colours is suitably placed to meet customers’ growing demands. Blends of similar (or different) colour sources can be considered to assist in giving an improved balance of each individual colour’s strength in the end application. This is another area where Quantum Colours will be focusing our attention, with some colour blends already on offer, either for improved shade differentiation or improved performance, while colouring foodstuffs such as orange carrot or redbeet concentrate will continue to be of value for improved clean label requirements.

Our new applications laboratory is available to shade and colour match to specific requirements and /or Pantone references.

Water Soluble Powder Blended colours suitable for Food, Pharmaceutical, Cosmetic & Industrial applications:

Butchers Red, Lime Green, Blackcurrant, Strawberry, Pineapple, Black, Raspberry, Ice Blue, Orange, Olive Green, Mustard, Yellow Lemon, Guava, Beef Red, Cola Brown, Tomato Red, Green and Grape.

NATURAL COLOURS FROM QUANTUM COLOURS

Globally, manufacturers of food are looking more at natural colours as possible alternatives to synthetic colours. The demand for natural colours has increased with consumers becoming more conscious about additives, and requiring products to be natural as possible. Some natural colours are extracts and can therefore be labelled without E numbers – making them “perfect additives”. Even better, some natural colours allow for health claims – for instance, antioxidant properties.

Quantum Colours are continuously looking at various technologies to improve the effective use of natural colours and to bring increased stability to these products. An improved encapsulation technique is just one of the solutions being explored at present.

With an increased demand for natural colours and the continued growth of synthetic colours, it is evident that synthetic and natural colours will continue to co-exist and may not necessarily be pitted against each other.

Natural colours suitable for Food, Pharmaceutical, Cosmetic & Industrial applications:

Typical Applications: Ice-cream, Alcoholic beverages, Seafood (permitted levels vary and must be checked and verified with your regional regulatory body), Processed cheese, Dairy desserts, Snack foods, Baked goods, Icings, Dry pet foods (unlimited use within good manufacturing practice).  Also widely used in sausage casings, smoked fish, margarine, snacks, cheese and cereals.

Physical Form as per table below: Water Soluble Powder | Water Soluble Liquid | Oil Soluble Liquid

Turmeric:
Turmeric is derived from the rhizome of Curcuma longa L.. by the process of either boiling or drying the rhizomes and then grounded into an orange-yellow powder commonly used as a colouring and flavouring agent in the Asian culture and cuisine. In the pharmaceutical and food industry it is widely used as a food supplement (western-herbal medicine), colouring or dyeing agent due to its vibrant colour properties and possible addition of flavour with low toxicity risks.

Riboflavin:
Riboflavin, also known as Vitamin B2, is a water-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in many foods. It occurs as a vibrant yellow to yellow-orange crystalline powder. While riboflavin itself is not typically used as a food colouring, it can contribute to the colour of certain foods due to its role in various biochemical reactions.

Lutein:
Lutein is a naturally occurring pigment and antioxidant found in many fruits and vegetables, particularly those with vibrant, deep green or yellow colours. Lutein belongs to the group of colouring substances- carotenoids and apart from playing an important role in eye health, it is a natural food additive and colourant which makes for an excellent addition to any food products.

Beta-carotene:
Beta-carotene is an organic pigment abundant in plants and fruits. It is a member of the carotenes, terpenoids (isoprenoids), synthesised biochemically or extracted naturally from carrots. The name beta-carotene comes from the  Greek “beta” and Latin “carota” (carrot). It is part of the colouring substances group- carotenoids and it is the yellow-orange pigment that forms during plant photosynthesis. Although carotene is a provitamin of Vitamin A, the amount of Vitamin A converted from carotene in the body is not significant enough to be considered toxic to humans when consumed, but beneficial as it acts as an antioxidant.

Annato:
Annato is a natural food colourant with an orange-red pigment and derived from the seeds of the achiote tree (Bixa Orellana), native to the tropical areas of America. It is used as a food additive and colourant due to the impartation of a yellow to orange-red colour to food. It is a diverse colourant used in the food industry due to its dual solubility in both water and oil.

Paprika:
Paprika extract powder is extracted from red fruits such as red peppers, also known as Capsicum annum L. Another name for Paprika is Capsanthin which forms part of the carotenoid group. It is a well applied food additive and natural colourant due to its oil solubility, spicy, peppery flavour and the intense red-orange pigment. An additional benefit is its antioxidant properties.

Lycopene:
Lycopene is a bright-red natural colourant which forms part of the colouring group- carotenoids. It is extracted from tomatoes and other red fruits and vegetables. It is applied as a natural food colourant due to its bright pigment. Although lycopene is chemically a carotene, it has no vitamin A activity.

Carmine:
Carmine also known as Cochineal is a natural red food colourant extracted from the dried bodies of the Cochineal insect, Dactylopius coccus costa, found mainly in tropical and subtropical America and Mexico where it feeds off cacti. Carmine (Cochineal) also known as carminic acid produces an extremely stable red pigment.

Beetroot red or Betanin:
Beetroot Red or Betanin is a natural food additive and colourant which is extracted from the roots of the beet plant (Beta vulgaris). It is a well applied natural food colourant due to its vibrant range of red to purple hues. Betanin is a water-soluble pigment- this quality makes it a widely used food additive. It belongs to the betalain family of pigments. The hues produced are greatly dependent on the pH levels of the substance it is mixed into. Betanin becomes unstable when subjected to light, heat, and oxygen; therefore, it is used in frozen products, products with a short shelf life, or products sold in a dry state. Betanin can survive pasteurisation when used in products with high sugar content.

Anthocyanins:
Anthocyanins and anthocyanidins form part of a natural food colourant group which produces vibrant hues of red, blue and purple to certain fruits and vegetables. They belong to the flavonoid group of phytochemicals and have both health and food additive benefits. As a flavonoid it acts as an antioxidant which assists with many health benefits and as a food additive it is beneficial as it provides vibrant hues. This colourant   is well applied in the food industry but becomes unstable when exposed to high temperatures, light and fluctuating pH levels. In acidic conditions, anthocyanins appear red but turn blue when the pH increases.

Spirulina:
Spirulina is a natural blue-green pigment which is part of the algae family. It is a widely applied food colourant due to its vibrant blue and green hues. Apart from the benefits such as vibrant colouring, Spirulina has many health benefits including antioxidant properties and amino acid activity which also makes for an excellent dietary supplement.

Blue Pea Flower:
The Butterfly Pea Flower (Clitoria ternatea) forms part of the anthocyanin family which produces vibrant blue and purple hues. It is widely applied in the food industry as it is a stable ingredient when exposed to heat, light and fluctuating pH levels. The colour deepens from blue to purple with an increase in pH levels- this is a typical property of the anthocyanin group of natural colours.

Chlorophyll:
Chlorophylls are natural colours found in plants and algae. It produces the green colour in plants and assists with photosynthesis providing energy to the plants from light. Natural chlorophyll (E140) is water-soluble and only moderately stable when exposed to heat and light. To overcome the instability, processes involving the coppering of Chlorophyll are carried out and the instable chlorophylls are transformed into more stable compounds which may be exposed to heat and light. The Copper Chlorophyllin produces a blue green pigment when dissolved in water, and are often mixed with yellow Chlorophyll hues to produce a lighter green pigment such as lime.

Caramel:
Caramel is a natural food colourant. The medium to dark-orange colour is obtained by heating a variety of food-grade carbohydrates. Caramel is a well applied and popular food colourant due to its flavours, aroma and colour. It is widely used in desserts and sweet treats because of sweet properties. It is a moderately stable product when exposed to light and extremely stable when exposed to heat and different pH levels. The colour intensity is dependent on the concentration of the caramel mixture.

Whites:
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a naturally occurring mineral mined from the earth, processed and refined then manufactured into a white pigment. It is applied in both the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries as a colour enhancer, glaze colourant and for its contribution of opacity to products. Titanium dioxide is not water- or oil-soluble, it is inert and has extreme stability when exposed to heat, light and fluctuating pH levels. It is both acidic and alkaline resistant which is beneficial in tablet coatings when considering the specific needs of the product.

Carbon black:
Carbon black also known as vegetable carbon is a natural black colourant. It is obtained from refined carbonised vegetable particles. It is well applied as a food-colourant and enhancer of visual appearance. It is mostly derived from plant material and thus safe for the vegan and vegetarian consumers. It is an extremely stable product when exposed to light, heat and fluctuating pH levels. The shade of colour is dependent on the concentration of the product in the blend.

Iron Oxides:
Iron oxides are naturally occurring chemical compounds composed of iron and oxygen producing pigments ranging from yellow, red, brown to black. It is a widely used ingredient in different industries such as food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, animal foods because of the vibrant earthy hues it produces.