A f r e q u e n t a s s i g n m e n t f o r f o o d s c i e n t i s t s i s t o r e p l a c e c e r t i fi e d co l o r a n t s w i t h m o r e l a b e l f r i e n d l y n a t u r a l co l o r a n t s i n f o o d f o r m u l a t i o n s . T h i s t a s k c a n b e q u i t e ch a l l e n g i n g . N a t u r a l l y
derived colorants are usually less stable to heat, light, and oxygen. They may interact with other
ingredients, resulting in t he development of unwanted colors and flavors. N aturally derived colors
are usually less vivid. An appealing f eature of n atural colorants is that many may provide health
b e n e fi t s . A l t e r n a t i v e co l o r s y s t e m s do n o t e x i s t f o r al l h u e s , e. g . , F D & C B l u e N u m b e r 1 . M o s t o f these challenges can be met with careful product design and t esting. A lso, it may be n ecessary to modify packaging and/or s horten product s helf life. An objective of t his r eview is to summarize the
alternatives available for r eplacing artificial colors with n aturally derived colorants and t o describe
their limitations and suitability f or different food applications.