E163A – Cyanidi
ColouringDescription
Natural food colorant (E163) belonging to the anthocyanin group of polyphenolic flavonoids. Cyanidin is responsible for red, magenta, and purple hues in many fruits and flowers (e.g., cranberries, blackcurrants, raspberries, cherries). It is a pH-sensitive water-soluble pigment used extensively in beverages, confectionery, jams, and processed foods.
Notes
Cyanidin is a specific type of anthocyanin, which is a natural pigment compound found abundantly in red and dark-coloured fruits. It's particularly concentrated in cranberries, blackcurrants, cherries, red apples, and red onions. This pigment is extracted through gentle processing methods that involve crushing the fruit and using water-based solutions to draw out the colour compounds, followed by purification to isolate the cyanidin specifically. As a food colouring agent, cyanidin provides beautiful red to purple hues and is commonly used in fruit-flavoured products, beverages, jams, jellies, and confectionery. It's especially valued in premium and natural food products where manufacturers want to avoid synthetic red dyes while achieving rich, appetizing colours that consumers associate with berry and cherry flavours. The intensity of colour can vary from bright red to deep purple depending on the concentration used. Cyanidin is entirely natural and plant-based, making it suitable for vegans, vegetarians, and all religious dietary requirements. It's considered very safe for consumption and is actually one of the compounds that nutritionists often praise for potential health benefits in berry-rich diets. Like other natural anthocyanin colours, it can be somewhat less stable than synthetic alternatives and may fade or change slightly when exposed to different pH levels, heat, or light during food processing and storage.