Press Release

Werder/Havel, Brandenburg ( connect2business ) July 2, 2013 - Caramel colour is used in a lot of applications to give brown colour to food products. The best known application areas are beverages, such as cola or energy drinks. Caramel colour is also used in delicatessen to add colour to sauces, soups, balsamic vinegar as well as in confectionary. The latest discussions about possible cancer-causing properties of 4-Methylimidazole has led to a strong demand of substitutes. 4-Methylimidazole can be formed in the manufacturing of caramel colour E150a - E150d (Class I - Class IV). However, this substance is specifically formed by using the reaction accelerators ammonia and ammonium sulphite.

Because of a regulation in California in which 4-Methylimidazole was added to a list of cancer causing substances food manufacturer are obliged to warn consumers by printing the warning on the label: "This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm", when the substance is exceeding a certain amount. Particularly affected by this law are the producers of cola beverages, which are coloured by using caramel colour E150d (class IV). According to different reports to avoid the warning well-known producers of beverages are changing their recipes in the United States.

Herbafood Ingredients GmbH offers alternatives to caramel colour based on natural apple extracts.

The brown colour of apple extract Herbarom is a result of the oxidation of polyphenolic substances naturally occurring in apples. This effect can also be observed when eating an apple. Herbarom is made from harvest fresh de-juiced and carefully dried apples with a colour range from medium brown to dark brown. Depending on the apple extract and the used concentration the colouring of the end product varies from yellow or golden to a dark brown. Polyphenols are also considered health supportive.

Besides the polyphenols other flavouring components and monosaccharides are extracted during the production process of Herbarom. These components give aroma to a lot of products and round off the taste experience. The colouring profile stays stable in a big pH-value range. Herbarom can be used both for products with a neutral pH-value and for products with a low pH-value, e.g. beverages.

Herbarom is a versatile product and it is used in a lot of food products-. All food - and beverage applications are different - therefore the technical service of Herbafood Ingredients GmbH supports you selecting the most suitable product and gladly answers all your questions regarding their application.

Herbafood Ingredients GmbH

www.herbafood.de

About Herbafood Ingredients GmbH

Herbafood Ingredients GmbH is a world-wide supplier of high-quality ingredients of plant origin for the food processing industry.

As a subsidiary of the world's largest apple pectin producer, Herbstreith & Fox Herbafood possesses, among others, extensive know-how in the area of apple- derived products such as apple sweetener, colouring apple extracts, apple pectin extracts, apple fibres and combinations of dietary fibres with pectins.

Since its founding in 1980, Herbafood has created for itself a remarkable market position especially in the area of dietary fibres from fruits, vegetables and cereals as well as in the field of fruit-derived sweeteners and colouring food stuff.

Since 1993, the Herbafood Ingredients GmbH is situated in Werder/Havel (Brandenburg).

Company Contact:

Herbafood Ingredients GmbH
Phöbener Chaussee 12
14542 Werder/Havel
Germany
Tel.: +49 3327 785-202
Fax: +49 3327 785-201
E-Mail: info@herbafood.de
www.herbafood.de

Press Contact:

Tamara Thome
Tel.: +49 7082 7913-202
Fax: +49 7082 7913-201
presse@herbafood.de

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Organisation Profile:
The premium quality product range for manifold applications is complemented by the portfolio of the daughter Herbafood Ingredients GmbH: Dietary fibre from fruits with interesting functional properties, sweetening and colouring apple extracts and, as herba cuisine, products for the gastronomy sector from natural raw materials. In animal feed, the corporate group relies on the expertis of the daughter agro FOOD SOLUTION GmbH.