Candurin® pearl effect colors
A new approach to the decoration
of chocolate products and pralines
Ralf Schweinfurth, Merck KGaA
Candurin® pearl effect colors are mineral food colorants which create eye-catching and ­luxurious
pearl effects on food. They can also be used to replace specific artificial colorants, i.e. those used
to decorate chocolate products and pralines. Brand recognition and differen­tiation are significantly
improved by using these innovative colorants.
1. Introduction
In many countries, chocolate pieces and pralines
are often decorated using either colored white
chocolate or fat compounds. Insoluble lake colors
obtained by the chemical precipitation of watersoluble dyes on aluminium hydroxide have been
used a great deal for this specific application. Here,
artificial colorants have been the first choice. Now
the industry is faced with the situation that since
July 20, 2010 the use of the following six artificial
food colorants (E110, E104, E122, E129, E102 and
E124) requires the following additional label information within the EC [1]:
“Name or E-number of the color(s): may have
an adverse effect on activity and behaviour in
children.”
With this new regulation in place, the need for
alternative food colorants arose to replace the
aforementioned red and yellow artificial colors. At
the same time, a strong trend driven by consumer
demand is moving the industry towards reduced use
of artificial colorants in favour of natural alternatives. This has recently led to higher demand for
natural sourced lake colors such as carmine (calcium
aluminium lake of cochineal extract [2]). There is no
doubt that when using natural colors, producers are
often faced with the problem of reduced stability or
color oxidation caused by light and heat exposure
during processing, storage and distribution [3].
Candurin® pearl effect colors are all based on the
natural silicate mica (E555), which is an approved
color carrier permitted only for the two mineral
food colorants titanium dioxide (E171) and iron
oxide red (E172ii) [4]. In fact, only these three
mineral food ingredients form the base for all existing Candurin® colors (see also table 1). This means
the permitted food categories and usage levels for
Candurin® pearl colors are exactly the same as those
already stipulated in the food regulation for titanium dioxide and iron oxide. The high quality standard
of Merck’s Candurin® color range for its dedicated
use in the food and pharmaceutical industries is
underlined by the precise monitoring of the entire
production based on strict cGMP conditions and the
careful selection of raw materials.
Table 1: List of Candurin® pearl colors
Candurin®
color type
Silver pearl
colors
Interference
pearl colors
Composition
titanium dioxide
on natural mica
Pearl color effect
Silver-white pearl colors
Colors showing a colored pearl effect depending on the product color
(yellow, blue, red and green)
Gold pearl
colors
titanium dioxide & iron oxide
red on natural mica
Golden pearl colors
(can be used to replace the lake colors E102, E104 or E110)
Iron oxide pearl
colors
iron oxide red on natural mica
Bronze – dark red pearl colors
(can be used to replace the lake colors E122, E124 or E129)
2. Decoration of chocolate
a) Within a fat compound or blend of white chocolate
Candurin® colors can be easily mixed in any kind of melted fatbased compound. The colors completely retain their original color
shade within the warm fat regardless of the temperature.
In compounds based on vegetable fats pearl effects are achieved
at levels ranging from 3% to 7% Candurin® added. The amount of
light-scattering ingredients, i.e. sugar or dairy ingredients, should be
kept as low as possible to ensure that the pearl color is easily visible
on the chocolate. When these “opaque” ingredients are present in
low quantities or even totally absent, the amount of applied pearl
colors can be reduced significantly [5].
Decoration of chocolate
molds using a fat compound
colored with a red Candurin®
color.
the level of light-scattering ingredients is also significantly reduced
and the viscosity remains processible [5].
Chocolate pralines
decorated with different
Candurin® -fat compounds.
b) Direct decoration on the chocolate
Outstanding and high-glossy pearl effects on chocolate products
are also achieved by applying the Candurin® colors as such into
moulds prior to the addition of the chocolate itself. After the cooling
process and de-moulding, the pearl colors are completely transferred directly onto the chocolate surface itself, leaving no trace in
the mould. During the addition of the chocolate, the colors remain
entirely/completely fixed to the mould. This ensures that only the
surface of the chocolate is decorated with the pearl colors. Consequently, the Candurin® colors display brilliant and vibrant effects at
very low usage levels. Of course the pearl colors can also be applied
as such, simply by being sprinkled or blown on the still warm and
therefore slightly sticky chocolate surface after e.g. an enrobing
process has taken place [5].
With its high level of sugar and dairy ingredients, white chocolate
as such is not directly suitable for the addition of pearl colors. The
required amount of pearl colors would increase its viscosity too
greatly, rendering it unsuitable for further production. In this case,
the white chocolate can be simply “diluted” with cocoa butter
(20% to 40%) before adding the pearl colors. With this “dilution”
3. Conclusion
Candurin® pearl colors produced and marketed by Merck KGaA provide excellent results in the decoration
of c­ hocolates. With their innovative and eye-catching pearl effects, they ensure high consumer perception
and brand recognition, which together with effective marketing will create exceptional food products.
References
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives, annex V
Otterstätter Gisbert, Färbung von Lebensmitteln, Arzneimitteln, Kosmetika, B. Behr’s Verlag 2007
Searby Lynda, Nature’s true colours, International Food Ingredients 2011
Regulation (EC) No 95/2 on food additives annex V, 20th February 1995
Schweinfurth Ralf, Breidung Melanie, Candurin® Application Guideline for Chocolates, Merck KGaA 2010
For more information, please contact:
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
E-mail: [email protected]
www.merck4food.com/candurin
Phone: +49 6151 724269
We provide information and advice to our customers on application technologies and regulatory matters to the best of
our knowledge and ability, but without obligation or liability. Existing laws and regulations are to be observed in all cases
by our customers. This also applies in respect to any rights of third parties. Our information and advice do not relieve our
customers of their own responsibility for checking the suitability of our products for the envisaged purpose.
Candurin® is a registered trademark of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
Chocolate pralines
­decorated directly with
a golden and a red
­Candurin® pearl color.