Natural Pigments in Compound Seasoned Food

With the improvement of economic level, especially in recent years, people have higher and higher requirements for health, and more and more cases of using natural pigments in the production process of food. Natural pigments are of great help to people's health and can prevent the occurrence of diseases. Next, the editor summarized the use of natural pigments and the status of compound flavored foods.

1. The types and physical and chemical properties of natural pigments

The following are some natural pigments that are helpful to human health, and the physical and chemical properties that exist in them:

Lycopene

Lycopene is mainly present in tomatoes, and its content will vary with the variety and maturity of the tomato. In addition, it is also very high in fruits and vegetables such as watermelon, red pepper, grapefruit, etc. Lycopene is a bright red needle-like crystal. It belongs to isoprene among natural pigments and makes fat-soluble pigments easily soluble in organic solvents and difficult to dissolve in water. In addition, there are many double bonds in lycopene, which makes it very easy to be oxidized, but unstable.

Beta-Pigment

In nature, β-carrot pigment is the most common natural pigment. Among them, carrots, spinach, mangoes and other fruits and vegetables are very rich in content. It is an isoprene pigment and its dried product is a deep red Powder, insoluble in water, soluble in benzene, chloroform, etc. In addition, iron ions, light and oxygen can make it fade, therefore, the stability of β-carrot pigment is very poor. In addition, β-carrot pigment does not have a high degree of saturation, and there are many double bonds and branched chains. Among them, there are many conjugated double bonds, and the color of β-carrot pigment will be redder.

Curcumin

The so-called curcumin is the yellow pigment existing in the tubers of turmeric and turmeric. It is a flavonoid compound, which consists of three components, mainly curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bis-demethoxycurcumin. Its melting point is 179 to 182 degrees Celsius, and it is insoluble in water. It is easily soluble in glacial acetic acid, ethyl acetate, etc. It will change color when it encounters iron ions, so its stability to light and heat is relatively poor. Curcumin has a strong reduction performance and is very prone to chemical reactions.

2. Application of Natural Pigments in Compound Seasoned Food

(1)Application of natural pigments in the production of instant noodles and puffed products

The application of natural pigments in instant noodles and puffed noodle products will gradually improve the quality of noodle products and lay a solid foundation for the company to develop higher quality instant noodles and puffed noodle products in the future. Due to the vicious price competition of noodle products, the promotion of natural pigments has become very difficult. As the competitive situation continues to expand, companies with smaller scales and poorer quality have to withdraw from the market. Therefore, large companies also pay more attention to the selection of raw materials, making natural curcumin, β-carrot color, and caramel color. It is widely used in instant noodles and puffed products.

The application characteristics of curcumin in instant noodles and noodle puffed products are as follows: the safety performance is relatively high, and it has been widely used in countries all over the world. Turmeric belongs to a plant with the same origin as medicine and food. It has a history of thousands of years in my country. When in use, as long as it reaches about 20%-30% of ADI, it will make instant noodles and puffed products reach the coloring effect: the thermal stability is better, and the color of the noodle products can be kept stable; the coloring is more uniform, the same coloring Requirements, the price will be lower than β-carrot pigment; acid resistance is better, under acidic conditions, noodle products will be bright and stable.

Curcumin can be used according to different specifications, different solubility, and different dosages to produce a variety of colored pasta products, such as egg yolk, orange, and golden color. In addition, it can also be combined with β-carrot pigment, caramel pigment, etc., so that the color of the noodle product is more vivid.

(2) The application of natural pigments in the production of convenient food seasonings

Natural pigments are also widely used in instant food seasonings and powders. Generally, the most commonly used are curcumin, β-carotene pigment, and caramel pigment.

In the convenience food seasoning, the main functions of natural pigments are:

First, enhance the sauce color of instant food after brewing, giving a strong appetite;

Second, it can enhance the safety performance of instant food;

Third, some convenience foods with unsatisfactory brewing soup color can play a role in improving, thereby increasing consumer demand.

(3) Application of natural pigments in the production of seasoned pickles

In the production of seasoned pickles, the addition of natural pigments can make seasoned pickles more vivid, thereby triggering consumers' appetite. The natural pigments commonly used in some mustard and kimchi are β-carotene pigment, curcumin, and capsicum red pigment. Because the price of curcumin is relatively low, and the quality is relatively stable, so in the current seasoning pickles It is used more frequently, and β-carrot pigment is relatively less used. Capsicum red pigment is also used more, especially when combining curcumin and capsicum red pigment, the effect of using it in seasoned pickles will be more obvious.

(4) Application of natural pigments in the production of dried beef products

In beef jerky products, curcumin, capsaicin and β-carrot pigment are commonly used. Natural pigments can change the color of beef jerky products to make them look attractive. If a single natural pigment is used, it will combine with the natural color of beef to form a special kind of beef jerky products, which is the reason for the variety of colored beef jerky products. At present, beef jerky products formed in various colors according to different configurations have been found everywhere in the market.

The biggest advantage of natural pigments is better safety, no side effects, and also contains a lot of beneficial nutrients for humans. In addition, for some natural pigments, there will be some pharmacology itself, which can play a role in preventing diseases. , Some will also have antioxidant, analgesic and other effects. Therefore, the prospect of natural pigments is very broad.