MILWAUKEE, WI — The world of natural food coloring agents just got a big brighter.
The FDA has officially approved the food coloring group Sensient Colors’ butterfly pea flower extract as a color additive. The heat-stable water-soluble solution produces shades of vibrant blue, deep purple and natural greens.
Butterfly pea flower extract is the food and beverage industry’s first naturally derived blue food coloring source approved by the FDA and is heat and light stable. The water-soluble color agent creates a bright blue shade in products with a pH above 3.8 and a deep purple shade in products with a lower pH.
“The work on butterfly pea flower extract began more than a decade ago, and it is very gratifying to see the culmination of those efforts,” said Paul Manning, chairman, president and CEO of Sensient Technologies Corp.
Photo via @fullproofbaking on TheFeedFeed.com
The flower is commonly found throughout Southeast Asia, and the petals have been used to make caffeine-free herbal teas for hundreds of years. Several artisan chefs use the flower to add bright color to their dishes, but the additive is more complex to produce. The FDA approval required a specific ultrafiltration and concentration process to meet the federal regulations.
“While butterfly pea flower is relatively ubiquitous in parts of Southeast Asia, we discovered that the petals commonly grown for other uses were not ideally suited for the manufacture of standardized natural colors,” said Mike Geraghty, president of Sensient Colors LLC. “Through our ‘seed to shelf’ agronomy program, we invested to develop higher pigment petals in order to produce a highly stable, safe, and clean blue for modern food and beverage manufacturers.”
People have been taking notice of this flower with colorful power. Empress Gin has gained a considerable following on social media after the release of its spirit featuring black tea and butterfly pea blossom, giving cocktails an indigo color. When combined with citrus and stirred, it creates a color-changing experience.
Amateur bakers have also been entranced by the butterfly pea flower’s purple haze. One recipe posted by a baker on The FeedFeed’s website featured vibrant purple sourdough bread using water with butterfly pea extract, and Cody Simon, the creator of the food blog Cooking to Entertain, also used butterfly pea-infused milk to turn the cupcake icing a perfect sky blue.
The FDA approval officially goes into effect on October 5.
