E163D – Pelar;nidi
ColouringDescription
Anthocyanins
Notes
Petunidin is a natural blue-purple pigment that belongs to a group of compounds called anthocyanins – the same substances that give blueberries, red cabbage, and purple grapes their distinctive colours. It's extracted from various purple and blue fruits, vegetables, or flowers through processes that use water or alcohol-based solutions to pull out these water-soluble pigments. The plant material is processed to concentrate and purify the petunidin, creating a natural colouring agent with beautiful blue-purple hues. This additive functions as a natural blue-purple food colouring agent, providing rich, deep colours that can range from reddish-purple to blue depending on the acidity of the food. You'll find it in beverages, jams, jellies, candies, ice creams, and other products where manufacturers want to achieve natural purple or blue tones. It's particularly valued in 'natural' or 'clean label' products as an alternative to synthetic blue and purple dyes. Petunidin is completely natural and suitable for vegetarian, vegan, and all religious dietary requirements. Like other anthocyanins, it's not just a pretty colour – these compounds are powerful antioxidants that may offer health benefits including anti-inflammatory properties. However, anthocyanins like petunidin can be sensitive to pH changes, heat, and light, which means the colour might shift or fade under certain processing or storage conditions. It's approved for food use in most countries as a natural colouring agent.