Natural colour development, is a leading trend in 2025, responding to consumer calls for natural pigments from natural raw materials.
Using caramels has provided a go-to option for creators. “Manufacturers have generally relied on caramels as a natural option for brown shades in confectionery,” says Pilar Zorrilla, Key Account Manager and lead of the confectionery category team at GNT Group. However, manufacturers are now looking at alternative solutions to produce natural brown colouring in confectionery products, known as clean label colourants.
Caramel concerns in confectionery colouration
“Now, though, there are concerns about some caramels because of 4-MEI,” says Zorrilla.
Chemical compound 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) is a by-product that emerges during caramel production and is found in food and beverages during normal cooking processes. Certain types of caramel colouring, known as Class III and Class IV, are the most commonly used food colour additives by volume. GNT Group relays that 4-MEI is a by-product of caramel production found in caramels E150c and E150d.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require manufacturers to disclose whether food products contain Class III and Class IV caramel colouring. However, to ensure its safety, in 2020, the FDA confirmed it’s reviewing all available safety data relating to 4-MEI. The FDA confirms that removing 4-MEI is not possible as it’s formed during normal cooking processes.
Following reviews by The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Scientific Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources Added to Food (ANS), the European safety arm also confirmed the safety of caramel colours. Amid its review, it sought to inform EU policy maker’s decisions relating to food colours.
Concerns have, however, re-emerged regarding the presence of 4-MEI in caramel colouring. On January 3, 2025, the State of California’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its Proposition 65 list of Carcinogens or Reproductive Toxicants, which names 4-methylimidazole as one of the list’s chemicals.
In addition, with ongoing volatility within the cocoa market prompting dwindling production volumes and escalating cost pressures, confectionery brands are exploring the range of natural brown colourants they can use to bolster their formulations and compensate for confectioners’ cocoa reduction strategies.
“At the same time, there’s also this growing debate around ultra-processed food, which means more consumers are looking for products with clean and clear ingredient declarations,” says Zorrilla. Growing awareness around the presence of UPFs in global food systems is prompting producers to utilise natural brown ingredients and colourants, tapping into the natural and clean label trends for its brands.
New natural brown colour launches
Amid these concerns and with demand for better-for-you and healthier alternatives rising, natural brown colouring to replace colouring is anticipated in 2025. Producers are developing new natural brown colours to respond to these concerns.
GNT Group, for example, is developing a new range of brown Exberry colours made from non-GMO caramelised carrots using physical processing methods. The carrot is heated to produce sugars, which provide the caramel-brown hues. Other ingredients, such as malt extract, beetroot extract and specific fruit and vegetable concentrates, are common components of natural brown colouring.
Natural food and beverage ingredients producer Dohler uses malt extracts to give product categories such as confectionery authentic brown colours, providing an alternative to the colour colourant E150 c/d. The brown gluten-free food colourant has been designed to provide an authentic brown colour and maximum stability in product development. The brand offers a clean label declaration without E numbers.
Natural food colourant provider Oterra meanwhile replaces artificial brown food colours such as Chocolate Brown HT, Food Brown 3 (USDA), E155 (EU) and C.I. 20285 by blending artificial colours like orange, black, red, yellow and blue. Several options that include brown colouring include Jagua fruit and beta carotene, black carrot, beta carotene and paprika, and red beet, spirulina and turmeric.
Crafting R&D processes
Exberry Shade Dark Brown is a liquid-based colour used in various confectionery applications. “It’s classified as an ingredient rather than an additive in the EU so that it can be listed simply as “concentrate (caramelised carrot, carrot),” says Zorrilla. GNT Group has also formulated its Exberry Shade Sweet Brown in both powder and micronised powder formats, which can be listed as “concentrate (apple, caramelised carrot)” in the European Union (EU).
GNT Group states that the micronised powder is ideal for confectionery applications like chocolate and pressed tablets. It has a smaller particle size that allows for homogeneous colour distribution, with no visible separation into individual particles compared to standard powders.
GNT Group’s latest launch is not yet available in the US, but the producer also offers concentrates made from non-GMO apples and purple carrots. These ingredients are produced using physical processing methods with no chemical solvents. They can be listed as “fruit and vegetable juice for colour” under FDA regulations or “concentrate (apple, carrot)” in the EU. “They’re often used as a caramel replacement and are clear, water-soluble, pH-independent, and heat- and acid-stable,” says Zorrilla.
The caramel-free natural brown colourants have been designed to replace caramels as much as possible to use in confectionery applications. “It means manufacturers can create visually appealing products without having to compromise on their ingredient lists,” says Zorrilla.
