Chemical Changes in Natural Food Pigments

Abstract

This symposium is structured around the chemical changes in food processing. While some of these changes are beneficial, most result in lowered quality. Nowhere is a change more apparent than one involving a change in pigmentation. This may result in a change in intensity as in bleaching of a food or a hue change resulting in off-color. Even if the color change is the only change, that difference could be sufficient for consumer rejection. Color also plays a role in product identification. Fabricated products, soda, candies, etc., and natural products such as trout and salmon are identified on the basis of color even though color affects only the visual appearance and is only related to diet as in the case of the salmonids.