Category
Poster - Theoretical Proposal
Description
Colorants have been a part of our world for a long time. They have been used in textiles, medicines, hair products, cosmetic products, and specifically food. Food coloring is an important sensory cue to how we expect foods and drinks to taste. There are synthetic and natural dyes that help us gain the bright color we associate with our food. Natural dyes are made from vegetables, fruits, plants, and sometimes insects. Synthetic dyes are made from the synthesis of chemicals compounds. Customers and vendors look for a dye that is vibrant, heat and light stable, low cost, provides health benefits, and no added flavor. Natural dyes tend to provide more health benefits than synthetic but are more costly and less stable. Synthetic, red dye 40 specifically gives the vibrant red along with the pH stability necessary to remain that color but has been flagged with potential health hazards. This research will investigate the advantages and disadvantages of natural and synthetic red food dyes, specifically red dye 40 and a natural red dye alternative, derived from red beets. The characteristics of these two dyes will be compared based on their light stability, health advantages, vibrancy, cost, and heat stability. This will be investigated through researching relevant literature and by proposing laboratory experiments. Proposed experiments could include testing the stability and vibrancy through UV analysis of peaks, testing the pH by adding dyes to different acidic and basic foods, and the health effects by adding dyes to living organisms. The results of this research will further the knowledge of the benefits and disadvantages of natural or artificial dyes.
Assessing Natural and Synthetic Red Food Dye
Poster - Theoretical Proposal
Colorants have been a part of our world for a long time. They have been used in textiles, medicines, hair products, cosmetic products, and specifically food. Food coloring is an important sensory cue to how we expect foods and drinks to taste. There are synthetic and natural dyes that help us gain the bright color we associate with our food. Natural dyes are made from vegetables, fruits, plants, and sometimes insects. Synthetic dyes are made from the synthesis of chemicals compounds. Customers and vendors look for a dye that is vibrant, heat and light stable, low cost, provides health benefits, and no added flavor. Natural dyes tend to provide more health benefits than synthetic but are more costly and less stable. Synthetic, red dye 40 specifically gives the vibrant red along with the pH stability necessary to remain that color but has been flagged with potential health hazards. This research will investigate the advantages and disadvantages of natural and synthetic red food dyes, specifically red dye 40 and a natural red dye alternative, derived from red beets. The characteristics of these two dyes will be compared based on their light stability, health advantages, vibrancy, cost, and heat stability. This will be investigated through researching relevant literature and by proposing laboratory experiments. Proposed experiments could include testing the stability and vibrancy through UV analysis of peaks, testing the pH by adding dyes to different acidic and basic foods, and the health effects by adding dyes to living organisms. The results of this research will further the knowledge of the benefits and disadvantages of natural or artificial dyes.
Comments
Undergraduate