WILD has succeeded in producing heat-stable colors from natural sources especially for the use in extruded confectionery. Its new colorants meet the high standards of extrusion technology, giving foods an appetizing look. WILD is able to cover a color spectrum ranging from yellow and orange to red and from green to brown. Depending on the color, they withstand temperatures up to 80 or even 135 degree Celsius.

Application areas for WILD’s extruder-stable natural colors include all kinds of extruded confectionery, be it liquorices, chewy candies or gummy confectionery like stripes and candy sticks. The colors can also be combined with each other, creating for instance products with parti-colored coats or color gradients.

Joined expertises in extrusion technology
Thanks to its cooperation with Extrufood, a specialist in extrusion technology, WILD is able to test its natural colors in extruded products methods and simulate how the colors will perform within the finished product under industrial conditions. The experience of WILD’s color experts, combined with Extrufood’s latest Diemix® and Dieswitch® extrusion technology, results in brilliant confectionery colors with the highest stability and an efficient coloring of the end product.

Natural trend important driver
Confectionery is all about color. Products must be a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. Consumers associate appealing colors with freshness, quality, and great taste. When making decisions about which products they want, natural ingredients are a critical factor. However, the demand for natural ingredients such as colors is not only consumer driven, but also affected by new regulations. As traditionally very colorful kid’s products, extruded confectioneries in particular are highly affected by the new EU directive. It states that products containing the synthetic “ Southampton colors” must be labeled with the warning “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children” from July 20, 2010 onwards. In order to support manufacturers in avoiding this labeling, WILD has been diligently working on the development of natural solutions for extruder-stable colors.