A review article on edible pigments properties and sources as natural biocolorants in foodstuff and food industry.

Consumers are avoiding foods containing synthetic colourants, which lead food industries to replace them by natural pigments. Food colorants may be classified into synthetic, nature-identical, inorganic and natural colorants. Natural colorants for food are made from renewable sources. Most often, the colorants are extracted from plant material, but other sources such as insects, algae, cyanobacteria and fungi are used as well. Natural colorants are usually extracted and concentrated using either water or lower alcohols for water-soluble pigments and organic solvents for lipophilic pigments. Legislation restricts which colorants are allowed, what sources may be used for that particular colorant, what solvents may be used to extract it and the purity of the pigment. Colorants are formulated to make them more suitable for a variety of foods and drinks and to increase their stability.