The wait is finally over for a heat stable natural blue food color. The U.S. FDA has approved Sensient Technologies petition to add Butterfly Pea Flower Extract to the list of approved color additives.
Sensient Technologies Corporation announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a petition filed by Sensient’s Color Group to add butterfly pea flower extract to the list of approved color additives in the United States. The addition of butterfly pea flower extract is a major milestone for the food industry since it closes an important gap in the natural color palette. The novel blue color is exceptionally heat stable and enables nutraceutical and beverage brands to achieve a range of shades including blues, intense purples and natural greens.
The FDA approval covers a wide range of product categories including nutritional beverages, sport drinks, fruit and vegetable juices, alcoholic beverages, dairy drinks, teas and candy. The FDA endorsement of butterfly pea flower extract as a color additive in the code of food regulations will enhance the ability of leading brands and retailers to innovate using natural colors.
“Closing the performance gap between FD&C colors and those from natural sources has long been a strategic priority for Sensient. 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,” stated Paul Manning, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Sensient Technologies Corporation.
Butterfly pea flower extract is the industry’s first plant-derived natural blue source approved by the FDA. The color additive fills an important gap in the natural color spectrum because of its exceptional heat and light stability. The water-soluble color delivers a bright denim shade in products at a pH above 3.8. In low pH products such as sport drinks, butterfly pea extract provides a unique deep purple shade.
