RICH CHOCOLATE COLOR

Gerkens Luxe is a premium cocoa powder from Cargill. It offers a dark, intense red color combined with a soft, chocolaty flavor. It’s an ideal choice for dairy, beverage and ice cream manufacturers looking to stand out from the competition with a unique rich color, Cargill said.

800-227-4455; www.cargill.com

CLEAN-LABEL BROWNS

DDW’s Naturbrown ingredients provide the widest range of natural browns from the widest range of sources. DDW said consumers have a demonstrated preference for simple, recognizable labels, and its ingredients are made from fruit or vegetable juice concentrates, which keep labels clean and products colorful. There is an option to suit just about every need — whether it’s a flavored milk, yogurt, ice cream or cream cheese.

502-895-2438; www.ddwcolor.com

NATURAL COLORS

Chr. Hansen said it is the only provider of natural colors that combines 140 years of unique application and regulatory expertise with a strong global presence and the widest natural color portfolio in the industry. It offers a complete range of natural colors for fruit preparations, fermented dairy applications, cheeses, and ultra-high-temperature and acidified milks by utilizing patented technologies to attain the shade of choice. Its clean-label FruitMax range is a full palette of vibrant, minimally processed colors from natural sources, including the company’s Hansen sweet potato, which is an ultra-stable natural replacement for red 40 and carmine.

414-607-5700; www.chr-hansen.com

SWEET POTATO COLOR

Food Ingredient Solutions LLC introduced an organic purple sweet potato color. Purple sweet potato is a kosher- and halal-certified, heat- and light-stable natural color. Depending on pH, it will impart a raspberry red to purple to indigo hue. In most dairy applications, purple sweet potato will provide a grape to blueberry shade, Food Ingredient Solutions said.

201-440-4377; www.foodcolor.com

NON-GMO CARAMEL COLOR

In response to growing consumer demand for non-GMO food offerings, Sethness Roquette said it developed its Non-GMO Project Verified SB121 liquid caramel color. This Class I, or plain caramel color, product is the 12th Non-GMO Project Verified color in the Sethness portfolio. Manufactured from nongenetically modified cane sucrose, SB121 is ideal in various applications and also is much darker than typical Class I offerings. All Sethness Class I colors are minimally processed, with no ammonium or sulfite compounds used in their manufacture.

888-772-1880; www.sethness.com

NATURAL WARM TONES

Kalsec said it provides many naturally sourced colors for dairy applications, including yellow, orange, pink and red hues derived from carrot, turmeric, annatto, paprika and anthocyanins. Combinations of these colors in both oil- and water-soluble versions also are available. Kalsec offers beet extract for processors looking for the perfect pink shade for berry-flavored ice cream or strawberry-flavored milk. For yogurts, Kalsec can provide shades ranging from yellow to peach to pink. For yellows, try its carrot colors; for peach, try its annatto colors. Kalsec colors derived from black carrot, yam, radish and beet can deliver appetizing shades of pink.

800-323-9320; www.kalsec.com

SPIRULINA-BASED COLORS

GNT said it is the world’s largest producer of spirulina — an algae favored for its rich nutrient profile, as well as for its coloring properties — and has over 25 years of technical experience incorporating it into all types of applications, including dairy. GNT’s spirulina-based Exberry products, which are available in both liquid and powder forms, make blues, greens and lavenders in dairy products. They can be combined with other Exberry products to achieve a range of colors and are perfect for ice creams, sorbets, yogurts, puddings and more.

914-524-0600; www.exberry.com

BRIGHT BLUE

Sensient Food Colors said its proprietary natural blue vegetable juice fills the industry-wide gap for a heat-, light- and pH-stable bright blue across applications. In combination with carrier-free spirulina, turmeric and other fruit and vegetable juices in its portfolio, unique and vibrant blue, green and purple shades can be achieved in single-system solutions. Whimsical trending hues can be achieved with lower final usage rates, thanks to the highly concentrated natural colorants in its toolkit. The shades are perfect for ice creams and frozen desserts, inclusions, variegates, frozen novelties and more.

800-325-8110; www.sensientfoodcolors.com/en-us/

EARTHY COLORS

Icon Foods said it is getting back to the basics when it comes to color trends with the earthy brown tones featured in its no-sugar-added inclusions and variegates. Dark chocolate chips, chocolate sprinkles, chocolate fudge syrup and caramel syrup can stir up nostalgia, adding flavor and texture in dairy products without compromising the clean label that consumers are demanding. Icon Foods can help processors reformulate their dairy products, adding flavor and interest while making deep cuts to sugar.

310-455-9876; www.iconfoods.com