The black stuff

Chr Hansen has developed a new form of natural colour that the company claims will allow manufacturers of soft drinks to create the perfect black. The product, says Hansen, is easy to use and offers cleaner and simpler production.

Making black sweets with natural colour has always been a very messy job. It involves using the colour Carbo vegetabilis, which comes from carbonised vegetable matter and up to now has only been available as a paste or highly viscous liquid. It is often messy and difficult to work with.

Now Chr Hansen has succeeded in formulating Carbo vegetabilis in a free-flowing liquid form that the firm claims offers a number of advantages. The product requires a shorter handling time, is easier to pump and mix and makes completely new types of application possible.

"Chr Hansen is the first company in the world to supply a solution like this one, so we are hopeful that our new black colour will catch on,"​ said executive vice president Lars Frederiksen.

The new black colour is made using the CapColor technique, for which Chr Hansen​ holds the patent. This involves suspending the tiny colour particles in a protective liquid, which makes the colours clearer and more stable.