“Clean Label” Trend and Customer Preference Towards Natural Ingredients Driving Adoption
Consumer demand for naturally derived ingredients and raw materials have led to the increasing demand for natural colors in various industries, the foremost being the food and beverage (F&B) industry. Currently, a major trend in the industry is the “clean label” trend that is being actively pursued by ingredient manufacturers and product developers alike. The “clean label” tag helps in gaining consumer confidence and create a perception of health and wellness in various food and beverage products.
While the use of natural colors is able to overcome the possible adverse effects of artificial colorants, the use of natural colorants is still considered to be in emerging stages mainly due to challenges related to stability, possible leaching and scaling. Efforts to overcome these challenges and development of natural colorants that can impart additional functional benefits are key areas of focus by both academia and industry alike. Besides the ability to develop colorants for use in a wide range of applications, technology developers are also focusing on improving cost-effectiveness to hasten wide scale adoption.
This research service titled “Disruptive Innovations in Natural Colors“ discusses the recent developments in the natural colors that are being touted as a viable alternative for synthetic and chemical ones. The research study focuses primarily of the innovations targeted towards the F&B industry, being the most research intensive application for natural colors.
In brief, the research study captures the following:
- Overview of natural colors and application segmentation
- Assessment of key innovations, research focus areas and technology developments
- Key impact factors that influence acceptance of natural colors by consumers
- Emerging opportunities for technology developers
- Key patents, both granted and application status
