Francis F J
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 1989;28(4):273-314. doi: 10.1080/10408398909527503.
Interest in food colorants as shown by the number of patents has doubled in recent years with natural pigments outnumbering synthetics by five to one. The natural colorant area can be subdivided into anthocyanins, betalains, chlorophylls, carotenoids, flavonoids, polyphenols, Monascus, hemes, quinones, biliproteins, safflower, turmeric, and miscellaneous. All involve different groups of chemical compounds which may be used directly as colorants, or may be chemically modified to produce different hues or increased stability. All usually involve a method of collection, extraction, purification, possibly stabilization, and formulation. A variety of hues can be obtained ranging from green through yellow, orange, red, blue, and violet, depending on the source of colorant. Similarly, water or oil-soluble formulations can be prepared depending on the type of colorant.
近年来，专利数量显示出对食用色素的兴趣翻了一番，其中天然色素的数量是合成色素的五倍。天然色素领域可细分为花青素、甜菜碱、叶绿素、类胡萝卜素、黄酮类化合物、多酚、红曲、血红素、醌类、胆色素蛋白、红花、姜黄及其他。所有这些都涉及不同的化合物组，它们可以直接用作色素，或者可以进行化学改性以产生不同的色调或提高稳定性。所有这些通常都涉及收集、提取、纯化、可能的稳定化和配方等方法。根据色素来源的不同，可以获得从绿色到黄色、橙色、红色、蓝色和紫色等各种色调。同样，根据色素的类型，可以制备水溶性或油溶性配方。
