Food Coloring

While reading about cake decorating, it is only normal to question the health effect of food coloring. After all, does red velvet really need to be red? (I know, I know, other than the fact that its called red velvet.) But if it has zero effect on the taste, why ingest anything questionable?

A quick research will, of course, take you to wikipedia -- modern day's answer to just about anything (remember those things called encyclopedia when you were young? Totally dating myself.) There are, of course, all naturally food coloring, such as:

• Caramel coloring (E150), made from caramelized sugar, used in cola products and also in cosmetics
• Annatto (E160b), a reddish-orange dye made from the seed of the achiote.
• A green dye made from chlorella algae (chlorophyll, E140)
• Cochineal (E120), a red dye derived from the cochineal insect, Dactylopius coccus
• Betanin (E162) extracted from beets
• Turmeric (curcuminoids, E100)
• Saffron (carotenoids, E160a)
• Paprika (E160c)
• Elderberry juice
• Pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius), a green food coloring
• Butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea), a blue food dye

Pay particular attention to cochineal, it is derived from what, an insect?

Female cochineal
Photo credit: Webexhibits.org

Male cochineal
Photo credit: nathistoc.bio.uci.edu
© Peter J. Bryant










Yummy!