Ohio State, Mars collaborate on natural blue dye for candy

According to Columbus Business First, Ohio State University food scientists might have succeeded in creating a veggie-based blue dye for candy such as M&Ms, Skittles, and other sugary treats. Mars Inc. and Ohio State were issued a patent in November for a method to separate blue pigments similar to the synthetic dye FD&C Blue No. 1 using red cabbage, purple sweet potato, as well as some potato and carrot varieties. According to the patent, anthocyanins can be extracted from red cabbage, purple sweet potatoes, and other veggies, but until now that had produced an unpredictable slurry of blues and purples, even red in an acidic environment.

“When a natural blue anthocyanin-containing colorant is used to color a hard-panned coating, the coating color quickly shifts after production from blue to periwinkle or violet,” said Mars in its patent application. “This phenomenon also impacts green colored hard panned coatings colored with a blend of a natural blue anthocyanin-containing colorant and a natural yellow colorant. In these cases, the initial color of the coating quickly shifts from green to mustard colored.”

The Ohio State and Mars method produces more precise mixtures by adjusting pH of the extract and using a device that can sort molecules by polarity, which is their atomic-level distribution of electric charge. The result is a mix that looks true blue. The patent says the new pigment not only can be used in “chocolates, sugar and sugarless candies of all types, chewing gum, candy bars, and sugar-coated confectionery.”

Columbus Business First article

Patent (pdf)