A Critical Update For The Natural Color Landscape
Butterfly Pea Flower Extract has received FDA approval as a color additive. This novel natural blue source is exceptionally heat stable and provides formulators with a beautiful denim blue shade for their library. Color from butterfly pea flower opens the door to beautiful green and purple shades through simple natural color blends too. It can be labeled as “butterfly pea flower extract for color” or “vegetable juice for color”, making this new source a very appealing option for today’s consumers looking for simple ingredient statements. Because the TTB follows FDA regulations regarding the color additives that may be used in alcohol beverages, this announcement also gives the alcoholic beverage industry a new, stable, uniquely blue natural colorant that survives harsh, high-proof systems.
Why Is This A Critical Update?
While blue sources such as gardenia or huito (which requires a reaction with an amino acid to turn blue) are often cited as solutions, gardenia is not FDA or TTB approved and huito is not TTB approved. Spirulina, which is both approved and delivers excellent performance in some applications, is not very heat stable. Spirulina also has limited pH stability, making it challenging in some beverage products. Butterfly pea flower extract addresses the need for bright denim shades that are heat and light stable. Color scientists continue to work on the “holy grail”, a sky blue natural color that is stable in low pH applications.
Sensient’s global agronomy team has been working with butterfly pea flower for the last ten years in order to increase both the supply of butterfly pea flower and to increase pigment levels in the petals. This will provide the food and beverage industry with a stable and cost optimized butterfly pea flower extract supply. Brands will have the ability to introduce new products with bold blues across a broad range of product categories.
Today, we are thrilled to share…
Vertical Integration Enables Cost-Effective Commercial Blue
Traditionally, butterfly pea flower was produced as a secondary crop by very small farmers. Through various partnerships, Sensient has provided agricultural R&D along with incentives to growers in order to create a safe and secure supply chain capable of handling the volumes needed by major food and beverage brands.
Another advantage of a vertically integrated supply chain is food safety. Butterfly pea flower is inherently vulnerable to pesticide contamination. This is largely due to overspray coming from nearby farms. This presents an ongoing challenge. Vertical integration—especially when paired with a strong food safety program like Certasure™—ensures traceability and accountability from safe, clean, protected sources.
Most importantly, Sensient’s strong agronomy program has invested years of research and seed breeding to produce a patented high-pigment variety of butterflypeaflower and the world’s leading germplasm collection. This volume investment, combined with cost-in-use and color yield optimization, makes this color additive a cost-effective choice for brands looking for a bold natural blue in their food and beverage products.
Extraction Technology
In addition to agronomy, Sensient has invested considerable resources into extraction and ultrafiltration to ensure both the safety and efficacy of butterfly pea flower extract as a color. While butterfly pea flower has been consumed as an herbal tea and in other culinary applications for hundreds of years, the common powder or leaf form is neither suitable as a food color nor approved by FDA.
KEY BENEFITS OF SENSIENT’S BUTTERFLY PEA FLOWER EXTRACT:
With this new announcement, butterfly pea flower extract is approved for use in several key application categories in the US, including alcoholic and non-alcoholic RTD beverages, ice cream and frozen dairy desserts, candies, and liquid coffee creamers, both dairy and plant-based.
Natural Blues Enable Natural Greens, Purples, and Browns
Blue hues also enable our color experts to reach otherwise difficult-to-achieve colors like greens, purples, and browns when blended with other natural colors.
Developers less familiar with the intricacies of natural color may be surprised to find that these shades can be tricky to produce for food and beverage products. While green may seem common in nature, it often comes from chlorophyl in plants, which quickly turns an unappealing brown when the plant dies. Natural blue blends can create attractive shades like bright greens, rich purples, and deep browns.
Purple has historically been associated with royalty due to its rarity in nature. Fortunately, Butterfly Pea Flower enables stunning purple shades. At higher pH levels in certain applications, Butterfly Pea Flower alone produces a vivid violet hue. In combination with natural reds like beet, black carrot, and other anthocyanins, Butterfly Pea Flower opens the door to rich purples even bolder than those possible with synthetic blends!
Bring Butterfly Pea Flower Blue to Your Next Project
Our regulatory team is always happy to discuss our color solutions and the steps we take to protect our customers from color-related recalls through our Certasure™ program. If you have specific questions about the FDA’s announcement or the petitioned categories, please reach out.
If you’re ready to test out this exciting color solution on your bench, request a sample today! If you have questions about Butterfly Pea Flower and how it may perform in specific applications, please feel free to reach out to schedule a consultation with our technical team. Brilliant blues await!
FAQs
Butterfly Pea Flower Extract Receives FDA Approval as a Color Additive. Butterfly Pea Flower Extract has received FDA approval as a color additive. This novel natural blue source is exceptionally heat stable and provides formulators with a beautiful denim blue shade for their library.
Is butterfly pea flower FDA approved? ›
Butterfly pea flower extract is the industry's first plant-derived natural blue source approved by the FDA.
What is the color of butterfly pea extract? ›
(1) The color additive butterfly pea flower extract is a dark blue liquid prepared by the aqueous extraction of dried butterfly pea flowers from cl*toria ternatea. The extract is further processed by ultrafiltration to remove residues of plant products, followed by concentration and pasteurization.
Does butterfly pea tea have food coloring? ›
The colorful flowers, deep lavender blue to violet, are often dried and used as a food dye. Most commonly, butterfly pea dye is used to tint rice both in savory and dessert dishes. The flowers are steeped to color an after-dinner caffeine-free tea blue, made with honey and lemon.
What chemical changes the color of butterfly pea flowers? ›
Color-Changing Anthocyanin
These same compounds are directly responsible for the blue, purple, pink, red and orange colors found in plants. In butterfly pea flowers, the main anthocyanin responsible for the deep blue to purple color is delphinidin.
Who should not take butterfly pea flower? ›
However, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, it is best to avoid consuming the tea. In addition, if you have low blood pressure, it is important to consult with a healthcare provider before consuming butterfly pea flower tea, as it may lower blood pressure.
What does butterfly pea do to your body? ›
The bottom line
Butterfly pea flower is a common ingredient in many herbal teas, mixed drinks, and cosmetic products. It is rich in antioxidants and may be linked to several health benefits, including increased weight loss, better blood sugar control, and improvements in hair and skin health.
Does butterfly pea stain teeth? ›
Vibrant blue tea protects your teeth without staining them Summary: Anthocyanins are water soluble and will not stain your teeth due to pH-balancing and anti-microbial properties Butterfly pea (cl*toria ternatea) tea has been growing in popularity in recent years due to its bright blue colour and numerous health ...
Does butterfly pea darken hair? ›
Butterfly Pea extract boosts hair growth as it contains a potent bioflavonoid, anthocyanin, which increases blood flow in the scalp, strengthening hair follicles. It is considered one of nature's most effective ingredient for promoting hair growth and darkening hair naturally.
Can blue pea flower be eaten? ›
Butterfly Pea (cl*toria ternatea)
Butterfly Peas are a hardy edible flower that is used to colour drinks, desserts, and rice dishes.
One of the most distinctive characteristics of butterfly pea flower tea, and other drinks that use butterfly pea flower extract, is that it will change color when the pH balance changes. A deep blue tea will turn purple with the addition of lemon juice, turning a deeper shade of purple the more lemon juice is added.
Is butterfly pea the same as blue Matcha? ›
”Blue matcha”, derived from the butterfly pea flower, has gained popularity for its stunning blue hue and unique color-changing properties. While blue matcha isn't a true matcha, it offers a visually appealing alternative for those looking for a unique twist on their tea experience.
Is purple tea the same as butterfly pea tea? ›
Butterfly Pea Tea and Purple Tea originate from different regions and require different cultivation methods.
What tea changes color? ›
Butterfly pea tea is a rare tea that changes color when ingredients are added to change its pH level. The tea alone features a brilliant blue color that can change to vibrant red or deep purple with a simple slice of lemon or a few hibiscus petals.
What chemicals are in the butterfly pea flower? ›
Compounds reported to be found in the flowers are ternatin anthocyanins and various flavanol glycosides of kaempferol, quercetin and myricetin (Mukherjee et al.
Can you be allergic to butterfly pea flower? ›
Potential Side Effects of Butterfly Pea Flower
In general, it's safe in moderation. But some may face allergies. The symptoms may include itching, swelling, and trouble breathing. If you think you might be allergic to butterfly pea flowers, call your healthcare provider.
Is butterfly pea flower legal? ›
Butterfly pea flower extract may be safely used for coloring alcoholic beverages, sport and energy drinks, flavored or carbonated water, fruit drinks (including smoothies and grain drinks), carbonated soft drinks (fruit-flavored or juice, ginger ale, and root beer), fruit and vegetable juice, nutritional beverages, ...
Are butterfly pea flowers safe to eat? ›
The FDA has approved butterfly pea flower as the first plant-derived natural blue color additive. These flowers are heat-stable and used in a wide range of foods and beverages: Alcoholic beverages. Sports drinks.
Is Pea Protein FDA approved? ›
Keller and Heckman LLP, on behalf of Roquette Freres, hereby notifies the Agency of its determination that Pea Protein Isolate is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), consistent with Section 201(s) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
Is blue ternate approved by the FDA? ›
The FDA has approved an aqueous extract of the blue petals of butterfly pea flower (cl*toria ternatea) – a plant native to Southeast Asia – as a color additive exempt from certification following a petition from Sensient Technologies, which described the approval as “a major milestone for the food industry” that “ ...
