FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This present invention relates to a novel composition comprising a combination of natural yellow pigments in pickled and/or fermented vegetable applications that enhance the overall appearance and remain stable over the shelf-life of the products. More particularly, one of the yellow pigments is brine soluble while an additional yellow pigment penetrates into the pickled and/or fermented vegetables. The appearance (hue) at both manufacture and end of shelf-life (expiry) of the combination of natural yellow pigments in pickled and/or fermented vegetable applications is comparable to synthetically derived Tartrazine (a.k.a. FD&C Yellow #5, chemically known as Trisodium 5-hydroxy-1-(4-sulfonatophenyl)-4-[(E)-(4-sulfonatophenyl)diazenyl]-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylate).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pickling, or preserving vegetables in vinegar, brine or a similar solution, is one of the oldest methods of food preservation. Although the exact origins of the process are unknown, archaeologists believe ancient Mesopotamians began soaking cucumbers in acidic brine to preserve them as far back as 2400 B.C. Several centuries later, cucumbers native to India were being pickled in the Tigris Valley. Since then, they have been a staple in cultures around the globe, renowned for their heartiness, health benefits and delicious taste. Pickles were first brought to America by Christopher Columbus. Like many explorers, Columbus traveled with them because they could survive long journeys and helped prevent scurvy. By the 19th century, H.J. Heinz Company, Inc. had cornered the market, thanks to some truly ingenious marketing strategies. By the beginning of the 21stcentury Americans alone were eating more than 2 million pounds of pickles a year.

Most pickles today are produced by one of three methods: refrigerated, fresh-pack or processed (also called “cured” or “fermented”). Each of these methods creates distinct flavors and textures.

In the refrigerated process vegetables, colorants and other ingredients are added to the brine. In this process the jars are not pasteurized, and thus need to be refrigerated. This may yield a better texture of pickle as the raw cucumbers are not exposed to the heat created by pasteurization. Some fermentation may be expected to occur during shelf-life due to absence of heat processing.

For fresh-pack processing, washed, cleaned and cut cucumbers are placed into a vinegar and salt brine (sugar is also included in relishes and sweet pickles), and allowed to soak. Colorants, preservatives and other ingredients are added at this stage. Jars are then heat pasteurized at 180-185° F. for 30 minutes. Fresh-pack pickles are shelf stable pickles and can be kept at room temperature until opened.

In the fermented process, vegetables are completely immersed in brine and allowed to ferment for 4-6 weeks. Different flavors can be produced by varying temperature range (65-85° F.) and the duration of the fermentation time. After the fermentation process is completed, fresh brine and colorants are added. Jars are then pasteurized to complete processing. Conditions are created in whichLactobacillusthrives (absence of oxygen, optimum salt content, no acid addition and pH of 4-6) and produces lactic acid and other metabolites which contribute to taste and long-term quality. During these production processes a variety of flavors are achieved by adding different herbs, spices and seasonings to the pickle brines.

The brines for these three processes can vary greatly, with vinegar concentrations ranging from 0-40%, salt ranges from 2-8%, and sugar concentrations ranging from 0-20%. Each variety is generally packed whole or cut in halves, spears, sticks, chips, chunks, salad cubes or relish, or sliced lengthwise for sandwiches.

To keep pickled and/or fermented vegetable products from fading during their stint on supermarket shelves, manufacturers often add yellow coloring to amplify their natural color. Most modern consumers associate freshness and good taste of the pickle to a yellow hue.

Most commercial brands of pickled and/or fermented vegetable products currently use Tartrazine, an artificial lemon-yellow dye derived from coal tar. Tartrazine also goes by the name FD&C Yellow #5. Tartrazine, is also a popular yellow food dye used in ice cream, soft drinks and fish sticks.

Tartrazine has been linked to asthma, skin rashes, and migraine headaches, as well as having been the focus of studies on mutagenesis and carcinogenesis as a possible food carcinogen. Worldwide, food regulatory agencies have banned or have called for voluntary withdrawal of the coloring by food manufacturers. FD&C Yellow #5 and/or FD&C Yellow #6 are banned or restricted, for example, in Norway, Finland, Sweden and Austria.

Moreover, recent trends have shown that consumers' desire to replace artificial ingredients (flavors, preservatives, dyes, etc.) with natural alternatives (i.e., clean-label). Natural colorants may confer an advantage for use in food products for the fact that the food products may be packaged under a “clean-label” designation, conferring a significant product advantage and being widely accepted by consumers.

Approaches to stabilizing the natural yellow pigment turmeric (Curcuma longa), have been attempted without success. Neither the addition of stabilizers nor encapsulating the turmeric with a light-protecting material was successful. Buescher and Yang (1990) describe using aluminum to protect turmeric in pickle brine against decomposition by light, heat and peroxidase. (Buescher R. and Yang L. 1990J Food Biochem14 (4) 263-271. Aluminum Stabilizes Turmeric in Pickle Brine Against Decomposition by Light, Heat and Peroxidase.) Peroxidase destruction of turmeric was uncompetitively inhibited by Al3+. Turmeric decomposition increased with increasing temperature from 20 to 90° C. No thermal destruction of turmeric was observed in the presence of 2 or 4 mM Al3+. However, aluminum is not a clean-label alternative in food products.

Malacrida et. al. (2014) explored microencapsulation of turmeric oleoresin using modified starch and gelation to create a light stable, water-dispersible powder form without success (Malacrida C. R., Ferreira S. and Zuanon A. AC; Telis V. R. N. 2014. J Food Processing and Preservation.39 (6) 1710-1719. Freeze-Drying for Microencapsulation of Turmeric Oleoresin Using Modified Starch and Gelatin).

Kharat et. al. (2017) used different emulsifiers to create emulsified turmeric in an attempt to improve stability (Kharat M, Du Z, Zhang G and McClements D J. 2014. J Agric Food Chem. March1, 65 (8):1525-32. Physical and Chemical Stability of Curcumin in Aqueous Solutions and Emulsions: Impact of pH, Temperature, and Molecular Environment).

This type of approach comes with the caveat that the most effective emulsifying ingredients are not natural, and thus not clean-label and/or Kosher. What is more, none of the above reported approaches succeeded in stabilizing turmeric in the final vegetable application, for example, pickles.

Another natural pigment that has been considered to replace FD&C Yellow #5 in pickled and/or fermented vegetable products are carotenes extracted from carrot (Daucus carota) or algae or fungal derived carotenes. Synthetic carotenes can also be considered for this purpose. Although the carotenes provide comparable yellow hue to FD&C Yellow #5, and are brine stable, the carotenoids neither absorb nor adsorb into/onto the vegetables. As such, the vegetables appear white in color when removed from the jars for consumption.

Yet another natural ingredient that has been investigated to replace FD&C Yellow #5 in pickled and/or fermented vegetable products is Riboflavin. However, the presence of Riboflavin in pickled and/or fermented vegetables negatively impacts flavor.

Another natural pigment that could be considered to replace FD&C Yellow #5 in pickled and/or fermented vegetable products is Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius). However, Safflower is currently not approved by FDA as a color additive in pickled and/or fermented vegetable products.

Therefore, a need still exists in the field for a novel natural yellow colorant system to color pickled and/or fermented vegetable products. Further need exists for the novel natural colorant system to be comparable to FD&C Yellow #5 in hue and performance (stability). The natural pigments also need to be shelf-life stable in low pH and high salt brine solutions. Finally, because most pickled and/or fermented vegetable products are marketed in clear glass jars, there is also a need for the novel natural colorant system to be light stable over the shelf-life of the products.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide novel natural (clean-label) yellow colorant systems to enhance the appearance of pickled and/or fermented vegetable products, wherein the color of the vegetable remains stable over the shelf-life of the products.

It is a further object of the invention to provide novel combinations of “clean-label” coloring compositions which may be employed in a process of coloring pickled and/or fermented vegetable products, wherein the color of the vegetable products remains stable over the shelf-life of the products.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a natural colorant composition for coloring pickled and/or fermented vegetables comprising of two or more natural colorants.

The natural colorant composition, wherein at least one of the natural colorants is brine soluble and light stable.

The natural colorant composition, wherein at least one of the natural colorants adsorbs or penetrates the pickled and/or fermented vegetable and is light unstable.

The natural colorant composition, wherein at least one of the natural colorants is brine soluble and light stable and wherein at least one of the natural colorants is light unstable and adsorbs or penetrates the pickled and/or fermented vegetable.

The natural colorant composition, wherein the natural colorant which is brine soluble and light stable colorant is an extract derived from carrot,Daucus carota.

The natural colorant composition, wherein the colorant which is light unstable and adsorbs or penetrates the pickled and/or fermented vegetable and is an extract derived from turmeric (Curcuma longa).

The natural colorant composition, which comprises a combination of extracts ofCurcuma longacomprising curcuminoids andDaucus carotacomprising carotenoids.

The natural colorant composition, wherein the curcuminoid content is present in an amount of 1-260 ppm and the carotenoids content is present in an amount of 0.2-50 ppm.

The natural colorant composition, wherein the pickled and/or fermented vegetables are selected from the group consisting of cucumber, cauliflower, onion, carrot, cabbage, watermelon, beet, pepper, and combinations thereof.

The natural colorant composition, wherein the natural colorant which is brine soluble and light stable is zeaxanthin derived from yellow paprika ripe fruit pod flesh or other natural sources and wherein the zeaxanthin content is 0.1-50 ppm.

The natural colorant composition, wherein the natural colorant which is brine soluble and light stable is an extract from Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), and wherein the Safflower extract content is 100-1000 ppm of E1%27.6 color strength or equivalent specification.

The natural colorant composition, wherein the natural colorant which is brine soluble and light stable is an extract from yellow beet (Beta vulgaris), and wherein the yellow beet extract concentration is 10-100,000 ppm of E1%0.375 or equivalent specification.

The natural colorant composition, wherein the natural colorant which is brine soluble and light stable is an extract from gardenia yellow (Gardenia jasminoides), wherein the gardenia yellow extract concentration is 1-1000 ppm of E1%87 or equivalent specification.

The natural colorant composition, wherein the natural colorant which is brine soluble and light stable is synthetic β-carotene, wherein the carotene content is 0.2-50 ppm.

The natural colorant composition, wherein the natural colorant which is brine soluble and light stable is lutein derived from marigold (Tagetes erecta) or yellow paprika ripe fruit pod flesh or other natural sources, wherein the carotenoid content in the composition is 0.2-50 ppm.

The natural colorant composition, wherein the natural colorant which is brine soluble and light stable is algal or fungal sourced β-carotene, wherein the carotenoid content in the composition is 0.2-50 ppm.

The natural colorant composition which comprises a combination of a light unstable natural colorant which is an extract ofCurcuma longacomprising curcuminoids and a light stable natural colorant selected from the group consisting of carrot extract comprising carotenes, gardenia yellow extract in an amount of 1-1000 ppm of E1%87 or equivalent specification, a yellow beet extract in an amount of 10-100,000 ppm of E1%0.375 or equivalent specification, a safflower extract in an amount of 100-1000 ppm of E1%27.6 color strength or equivalent specification, a yellow paprika ripe fruit pod flesh extract comprising zeaxanthin in an amount of 0.1-50 ppm, a marigold extract comprising lutein in an amount of 0.1-50 ppm, and a fungal or algal derived β-carotene in an amount of 0.2-50 ppm.

The natural colorant composition further comprising clean-label, natural, and industry approved diluents/emulsifiers.

A method for coloring pickled and/or fermented vegetables comprising treating the vegetables with an effective amount the natural colorant composition and further preparing, pickling, processing and/or packaging the vegetables.

The method wherein the pickled and/or fermented vegetables are colored with at least one natural colorant which is brine soluble and light stable and wherein at least one natural colorant which is light unstable adsorbs onto and/or penetrates the pickled and/or fermented vegetable, and wherein the vegetable retains a desired hue over time.

