Colour Challenges in Beverages and How to Solve Them

In the beverages manufacturing industry, colour plays various crucial roles, not just improving the visual appeal of the products. Colour directly influences the customer perception, product identity, brand recall, and sales. Whether it is used in any soft drink, juice, energy drink, flavoured water, or sports beverage, colour maintains the consistency and stability of products. Many manufacturers around the world are using synthetic food colours that face issues like fading, sedimentation, pH instability, and light sensitivity.

In this article, we are going to explore the most common colour challenges in beverage items and how to solve them by using the right colour solutions and best manufacturing practices.

Drinks in clear bottles or light packs often lose color strength on goods because light breaks some dyes. The main ones are Tartrazine, Sunset Yellow FCF, and Ponceau 4R.

Producers should use light-stable synthetic food colours mainly made for drink use.

Producers should choose UV-safe PET bottles or coloured packs.

Always try to keep drinks in a place where the sun cannot reach them while storing and carrying them.

pH levels of most of the beverages are between 2.5–4.0, which affects the performance of various colours in beverages and impacts their visual appeal.

Acid-sensitive dyes may shift or lose their colour on lemon drinks, sodas, and fruit beverages.

Manufacturers should choose acid-stable synthetic colours for their products such as Allura Red AC, Brilliant Blue FCF, Indigo Carmine, and Tartrazine.

Practice to check the pH of the beverage before finalising the colour shade for your products.

You can use colour blends that are especially formulated for low-pH environments.

A common problem in beverages with pulp, fibre, or added vitamins is the dispersion of colours in beverage items.

Colour settles at the bottom due to poor colour dispersion or if there is any heavy ingredients are used in the beverages.

Manufacturers should use high-solubility synthetic food colours in their products that are designed for clear and cloudy beverages.

You ensure proper colour mixing time and temperature of the drink for a better outcome.

Don’t forget to add stabilisers or emulsifiers if the beverage contains oil-based ingredients.

Try to avoid hard water because its minerals may interact with food dyes.

Sweeteners, preservatives, even minerals and Vitamin C may react against certain colours. In other words, they may destabilize the colour of the drink and the appearance of the beverage.

Certain formulations can lead to unwanted colour shifts or a dullness in the colour of the product.

Should test small batches of colours before large batches go into production.

Choose colours that are stable with ascorbic acid and mineral salts.

Use custom colour blends made for fortified drinks.

Every drink has different stuff in it that needs different colour fixes. Clear drinks require high-clarity, water-soluble synthetic food colours to maintain a clear appearance. In contrast, cloudy drinks require colours that can stay stable in the presence of juice/pulp.

Pick a colour kind based on how clear you want the drink to be.

For clear water drinks, always choose high-quality synthetic dyes.

For unclear drinks, you can go with lake colours or mixed colours.

Some beverages face hot temperatures and pasteurisation during the manufacturing process that impact the visual appeal of the products.

High temperatures can reduce colour strength.

Use heat-stable synthetic colours suitable for pasteurised beverages.

Test colour performance at processing temperature.

Adjust dosage according to the requirement for a better final shade.

In order to have consistent and pleasing colour across a variety of products, manufacturers are encouraged to :

Select colour choices aligned with the pH level, processing conditions, type of packaging, and the list of ingredients. 

Perform stability testing against light, heat, pH, and any interaction of the ingredients. 

Exercise and buy from reputable suppliers as regards to the reliable synthetic food colours and their beverage-grade dyes with custom formulations.

Controlled conditions of production with proper storage are required for optimum results.

Beverages are usually tough to colour but with the use of synthetic food colours, correct formulation and stability testing, it is easy for manufacturers to get long-lasting and consistent shades. By choosing the right colour grade for their products’ appearance improvement, brand trust, recognition and consumer appeal in the market are enhanced.