Its safe to say that Green is one of our favourite colours at Plant-Ex… just look at our logo! The colour green is often linked with nature and natural ingredients. It is also associated with nutritious and healthy foods. At Plant-Ex we have a full range of green colours and blends, each suited to different applications. Take a browse to find the right shade for you!
Chlorophyll E140
Chlorophyll is a natural pigment responsible for the green colour of many plants and algae. It is primarily sourced from plants such as Grass, Spinach & Alfalfa. It is normally the go-to choice when customers request a green colour for their products. The pigment is selectively extracted using solvents, producing an oil-soluble, yellow-green pigment which can be used in many applications ranging from pet food, extruded snacks and confectionery.
Chlorophyll E140 is typically oil-soluble, however, it can be made water-soluble with the use of food grade emulsifiers, such as Polysorbate 80, to suit a wide variety of water-based food applications. It is available as a water-soluble liquid, water-soluble powder, and oil-soluble liquid.
Chlorophyll has good heat stability but can be sensitive to light, so it is not strongly recommended to use clear packaging when using this colour.
Suggested applications: Dairy, Snacks, Confectionery, Bakery, Beverages, Sauces & Seasonings.
In Summary:
| pH | Stable at 3.5 |
| Heat | Good |
| Light | Sensitive |
Copper Complexes of Chlorophyll E141(i)
Copper Chlorophyll is a semi-synthetic derivative of Chlorophyll that reacted with Copper to create an oil-soluble pigment with enhanced stability and a dark-green colour. Although it is a dark green colour, CU Chlorophyll is typically blended with other yellow colours to alter its shade – read more about these later in this blog post!
Like Chlorophyll, CU Chlorophyll has good heat stability, but also has good light stability. It can be sensitive to low pH, but overall is a go-to green colour!
Suggested applications: Dairy, Confectionery, Snacks, Bakery, Sauces & Seasonings, Beverages.
In Summary:
| pH | Sensitive to low pH* |
| Heat | Excellent |
| Light | Excellent |
*acid stable options available
Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin E141 (ii)
Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin is a semi-synthetic derivative of Chlorophyll. It has been reacted with Sodium salts to create a dark green, water-soluble pigment with excellent heat and light stability. It is widely used in the confectionery industry for its rich and intense green colour. Typically providing more of a blue-green shade, Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin can be blended with yellow colours to make a range of green shades suited to flavours like mint.
Suggested applications: Dairy, Snacks, Confectionery, Bakery, Beverages.
In summary:
| pH | Stable at low pH |
| Heat | Excellent |
| Light | Excellent |
*acid stable options available
Green Blends
Plant-Ex manufactures various water-soluble green blends. Typically, we make our green blends using either spirulina and curcumin, or Beta Carotene and CU Chlorophyllin.
Spirulina and Curcumin blends are clean-label, so no E-numbers need to be declared on the back of pack. You can label this as: ‘Spirulina Extract, Safflower Extract’. Due to the spirulina, these blends are not heat stable, and are sensitive to acidic pH – see below how the shade of CF014691A Kiwi Green changes when the pH is increased (left to right: pH 4, pH 5.5 and pH 7):
Beta Carotene and CU Chlorophyllin blends are water-soluble natural colour blends, and so the E-numbers will need to be declared on the back of packs. These blends are heat stable and are not sensitive to pH.
Want help to decipher which green colour would work best for you? Make sure to get in touch with our teams by emailing sales@plant-ex.com.
