Natural food colors
Orange
Orange means different things to different people. But if we look to nature, which influences us all, orange is the color of autumn with leaves and pumpkins and big carrots. It’s also the bold, vitamin C-packed color of citric fruits like oranges and grapefruit as well as milder tomatoes, melons and bell peppers. Strong spices like paprika, cayenne pepper, curry and turmeric and the bitter orange peel mean that food manufacturers often produce orange-colored food. And whether they need a bright orange or a more brownish or golden orange or even salmon-colored, it’s important to create the perfect shade. Luckily, Oterra supplies a full range of orange natural colors for food manufacturers.
Skip down the page to learn more about orange
Orange in nature
What orange means to people
The history of orange being used as a color
Orange in food
Why food manufacturers choose Oterra
Orange in nature
Orange in the plant kingdom
When you think "plants," you don’t often think “orange.” Yet plants can have orange roots, blooms, fruit and leaves. From wildflowers like the California poppy to the dozens of popular garden flowers, orange blooms bring good humor. Often, the orange color comes from carotenoids, which are found inside cell structures called plastids and which aid in photosynthesis and to protect the plant from light damage.(1) Various carotenoids like beta-carotene and lutein are also used to make natural food colors.
Orange flowers also bring pollinators. While orange doesn’t seem to be the favorite of any one pollinator, many different pollinators can be attracted to orange. Butterflies are considered to have the broadest range of vision than any other animal or insect, including ultraviolet. And that’s not surprising, since their 2 compound eyes have 6-15 photoreceptors and about 12,000 lenses (compared to humans who have 3 photoreceptors and one lens in each eye). They can only see about 90 meters/100 feet away though, and have blurry vision. But they love bright colors like orange. Birds tend to be attracted to the color of their own plumage, so warblers and orioles are good pollinators of orange blossoms. (2)
Orange in the animal kingdom
Carotenoids aren’t the only pigment responsible for orange. Pteridine pigments are likely responsible for the orange patches on king penguins, (3) and for deep orange patches which female striped plateau lizards develop when they are ready to mate. (4)
The monarch butterfly, famous for its migration from Mexico to Canada over 4 to 5 generations, has a lovely orange and black wing. Recent studies have shown that the pigment primarily responsible for the orange color is xanthommatin, which resides in the cells coating its wings.(5) It’s a classic example of aposematism, where its bright orange color warns predators of bad taste and toxicity. Monarch butterflies have evolved together with milkweed, a toxic plant to which they have developed resistance. They only lay eggs on milkweed, and the larvae store the toxin in their bodies. Even after maturity they retain this toxin which makes them a disgusting meal for birds and other predators. The monarch population has decreased about 90% since the 1980’s, due mainly to removal of milkweed along their migratory routes. (6)
Poisonous dart frogs is an umbrella term for more than 100 species of brightly colored, small frogs native to Central and South America. The name comes from the fact that hunters in the region coated their dart guns with the poison that seeps from their skin. The golden poison dart frog, native to Colombia, has enough poison to kill 20 people and can kill a person in less than 10 minutes.(7)
The natural world
Pigments are mainly responsible for orange colors in plants and animals, but in the rest of nature we don’t find a lot of orange. Fire and sunrises/sunsets look orange because of light refraction. Some rocks and minerals are orange colored, and this is usually due to iron oxide. Groundwater moves through sandstone and deposits the iron oxide in between the grains. If there are other trace elements in the stone, it can become yellow or brown or even green. But the main color is usually a deep red. (However, when not wet or without a sunset to reflect on it, it looks orange.) One glorious example is the Rainbow Mountains of China. About 55 million years ago, the Indian Plate collided into the Eurasian Plate, and the once horizontal layers of stone crumpled up to create Rainbow Mountains. Orange sandstone formations are also famous in Colorado and Utah, USA. (8)
The meaning of orange
Universal associations with orange
Orange is a bold, dynamic color that is more powerful than yellow and red are individually. It’s often associated with warmth, kindness and joy. In fact, in a study covering 30 countries, the feeling most associated with orange was “joy” (44%). (9) It’s been shown to increase energy levels and even make it more difficult to engage in difficult tasks like studying. Orange is associated with optimism, enthusiasm and warmth. It’s often used in marketing for its attention-generating tone. Associations with orange can turn more somber when it can be associated with autumn, warmth and harvest. (10)
Happy-go-lucky orange
The color of bright sunsets and tropical fruit, orange can’t help but infuse people with happiness. It is perceived as a playful, friendly color when used in consumer marketing. A friendly color liked by children aged 3-6 and adolescents, orange has been associated as a color impulse buyers respond well towards, while orange packaging in the West can indicate an inexpensive product. (11)
Orange for caution
Because orange is highly visible, it’s often used in clothing for road construction workers and lifeguards, and for safety gear like life rafts and buoys. In the USA, NASA astronauts wear orange suits during launch and re-entry as they have highest visibility in space or against the blue sea. (12) It’s also a common color for prison inmates’ clothing in the USA, as was highlighted in the popular series about a group of women in prison called “Orange is the new black.”
Orange for transformation
In Confucianism and Taoism, orange is associated with spiritual transformation. But religion isn't the only thing that associates orange with change. The Orange Revolution in Ukraine, a protest against electoral fraud, brought the color to the forefront of international news. The United Nations has a campaign called “Orange the World” to raise awareness and combat gender-based violence. They chose orange to symbolize a brighter future, free of violence. (13)
Western amusement
In the West orange is used to symbolize frivolity and entertainment. Early paintings didn’t use a lot of orange but when it was used it had significance. For example Bacchus, the Greek god of wine, ritual madness and ecstasy, was often dressed in orange. In modern times, clowns often wear orange. (13)
Eastern religion
Confucianism considered orange to the be the interaction of active yang and the passive yin. As yellow was the color of perfection and nobility (light and spirituality), and red the color of happiness and power (fire and sensuality), combining them came the color of transformation. In Hinduism, the orange is the color worn by followers of the divinity Krishna and “sadu,” the wandering holy men in India. Orange is the color of the highest state of perfection in Buddhism. (13)
Cultural differences regarding orange
In the West orange is considered a friendly and energetic color. Many Eastern countries associate orange with love, happiness and good health. Japanese also associate orange with love and happiness as well as courage, balance, and flamboyance. Both Chinese and Native Americans associate it with learning. (14, 15)
The language of orange
Interestingly, the name of the fruit inspired the English word for the color “orange.” Native to Southern China and Malaysia, the fruit gradually made its way to Europe via trade. In the 1500s Portuguese traders brought the fruit from India, where an “orange tree” was called “narange.” At that time, there was no English word for “orange.” People could see the color but described it as “yellow-red.” When they first saw the fruit, they often described it as a golden apple. Eventually, various European languages adopted some form of “narange” to name the fruit. For English speakers, it would have been almost impossible to hear the difference between “a narange” and “an orange.” So orange it became. By the early 1600’s, the word “orange” as a color became widespread in English. (16)
Perhaps because the word “orange” is relatively new to the English language, idioms using the word are limited.(17)
Compare apples to oranges
Highlight the similarities between two different things—which typically cannot be done.
Go gathering orange blossoms
To look for a wife. The phrase refers to the frequent use of orange blossoms as wedding decorations symbolizing the bride's innocence.
Squeeze an orange
Using resources to their fullest potential, as is getting every last drop of juice out of an orange
The Big Orange
A nickname for Los Angeles, California, similar to how New York is called “The Big Apple.”
Orange alert
A high-level warning that is usually the second most severe after red.
Clockwork orange
While not an idiom, “a clockwork orange” has come to mean something mechanical and artificial that should be organic and natural.
The history of orange pigments and dyes
Paint and poison The orange paint ancient Egyptians used for tomb art came from the mineral realgar. It’s a beautiful orangey-red stone that is easy to pulverize and turns into the even softer, orangish pararegalgar when exposed to extended light. It’s found all over the world where there has been volcanic activity, but in ancient times it was mined in China and the Mediterranean region. Composed of half arsenic and half sulfer, it was used as a paint, a poison and even a Chinese and Indian medicine. The orange orpiment is a similar mineral found in the same areas as realgar. It’s just as toxic and was also used as a paint and poison. (18) Alchemists experimented with orpiment, believing that its golden yellow color signified that it could be turned into gold. (13)
Cadmium A synthetic orange color wasn't available until the early 1800s, when the German chemist Friedrich Stromeyer discovered the element cadmium as an impurity formed in zinc ore during smelting. When combining it with sulfer, it synthesized to a bright yellow, and by altering the way they combined the elements could also produce the synthetic inorganic pigment known as Cadmium Orange. Claude Monet ushered in the impressionist movement with paintings like the above “Sunset on the Seine at Lavacourt, in winter” (Claude Monet, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons) with a Cadmium Orange sun. Alas, cadmium is also toxic. In the early 2000s the EU considered banning cadmium-based paint, as artists washing their brushes released cadmium into sewage sludge that was then used on agricultural land and turned up in produce. Artists reacted strongly against the limited color palette they would be left to work with, and eventually, the EU decided to continue to allow it. (19)
Plants as a source of orange There are many sources of orange dyes, all of which are safe as opposed to the pigments mentioned above. Turmeric, paprika and orange carrots are all used to produce natural food colors and can be used to make orange dye for yarn, paper and other purposes. As well, bark, roots and seed husks of many plants also produce orange, for example from red alder, lilac and butternut. (20)
Orange in food
Orange is a color of many healthy and piquant foods. We associate orange with cheese, pumpkin, carrot, citrus fruits and even peanut butter. In a 2014 study, orange was mostly associated with the tastes of “sour” with “sweet” being second most common. (21)
There are many good reasons for using orange in food packaging. People associate orange with the fun, energy and optimism. It’s a favorite color of pre-school children, and perhaps most importantly, it’s highly visible and attracts attention on the shelf. It may even stimulate impulse purchases. (22) Like bright yellow, it’s often associated with affordability and convenience. (23)
Natural orange food coloring: the Oterra difference
Artificial orange food colors The most common artificial orange food color used today is a synthetic azo dye called FD&C Yellow No. 6, also called Sunset Yellow. You’ll find it in candy, preserved fruit, baked goods, beverages and sauces. It's one of the nine synthetic dyes currently allowed in the USA. Orange figures prominently the history of food colors. A 1960 focus on safe food colors came about due to an incident in 1950 when many children became ill from eating orange Halloween candy colored with FD&C Orange No. 1. (24) In that decade, the list of approved artificial colors in the USA shrunk from hundreds to double digits. Only nine are allowed today. Somewhat surprisingly, three of the nine are orange. In addition to FD&C Yellow No. 6, Orange B is used only in hot dog and sausage casings, and Citrus Red No. 2 is used only to color orange peels. (25)
Given that per capita intake of food coloring in the USA has increased five-fold since the 1950’s, it is understandable that there is continued focus on their suitability. In the EU, Sunset Yellow, also identified as food additive E110, is allowed but if used the food packaging must contain a warning label about its possible adverse effects. (24)
Oterra's natural orange food colors Oterra only sells natural food colors to the food industry. There are many sources of orange color like paprika, annatto, fungus carotene, orange carrot, palm fruit and cochineal. They can be blended with reds and yellows to achieve the exact shade you are looking for.
From left to right, this panned confectionery is colored with FD&C yellow #6, fungus carotene, annatto, HSWP + turmeric + black carrot.
From left to right, this water ice is colored with FD&C yellow #6, fungus carotene + turmeric, paprika, and annatto.
From left to right, this orange, juice-based beverage is colored with FD&C yellow #6, nature-identical beta-carotene, and cochineal.
From left to right, this orange, dairy-based ice cream is colored with FD&C yellow #6, fungus carotene & turmeric, paprika, orange carrot, and annatto.
From left to right, this extruded cereal is colored with FD&C yellow #6, paprika, annatto, and paprika.
Why choose Oterra's natural orange food colors?
Safe
With our Good Manufacturing Practices, you can rest assured our natural food colors meet various requirements and regulations on food coloring. And when it comes to research about health, natural colors win hands down over artificial counterparts.
Superior Quality
No matter your formulation requirement, you can rely on our colors to provide the exact same shade regardless of harvest or production batch. We’ll also help you with color matching to achieve the precise color you’re looking for.
Consistent supply
You don’t need to buy once a year according to the harvest calendar. We produce colors year-round and work hard to ensure they arrive at your door when you need them, both for lab samples, production pilots and production year after year.
Fair prices
We harvest and process pigments from mainly plants, and then carefully formulate them for maximum ease-of-use and shelf life. Color ingredients are a tiny percentage of your cost matrix, so the value of spending more on natural vs. artificial is well worth it.
Unrivaled expertise
We’ll help you develop products with the right shade and sensory qualities that avoid ingredients on your “no” list. And we’ll still be there to assist when you reformulate. There’s a reason we have expertise centers worldwide and the broadest color portfolio in the industry.
Unique innovation
We have a long history of product innovation for the best-performing natural food colors. But there’s more. By solving today’s challenges with solutions for the future, we drive the right kind of change that will ethically lead to innovation we can all be proud of.
Partnership mentality
Your food manufacturing environment is unique. You need a partner who cares about your efficiency and quality as much as you do. And who cares about their own responsible manufacturing and product quality since it becomes part of yours. We do.
Regulatory expertise
Rely on our documentation and certifications to meet your standards and inform your ingredients label development. Our global knowledge of the regulations that can influence your color choice make us your ideal partner whether you produce for home or abroad.
Responsible & sustainable
We were collaborating with farmers for better harvests and worker conditions, as well as cutting use of water and electricity in our factories before anyone required reporting. As a member of the UN global compact with ambitious SBTi-aligned targets, we’re still doing it.
Customizable
We understand that your product development and manufacturing environment is unique, and that's why Oterra offers customizable solutions. We'll help you achieve the shade you need in the right formulation to suit your products’ brand identity.
Organic
If your consumers want organic, look no further than to our range of organic natural food colors, accredited in US and EU. And if they’re looking for kosher, halal, non-GMO, plant-based or even approved for pets, we have that too.
Clean label
We’re with you on a journey together towards natural. How fast you travel depends on your consumers. So if you’re looking for clean label or simply to avoid artificial colors and additives, we’re here to help. Because we believe nature got it.
Discover the universe of natural orange colors with Oterra
Discover the sweet and tangy world of orange natural colors with Oterra
With our very first natural food color made of annatto to color cheese, Oterra has grown into possibly the world’s most knowledgeable company about natural food color. We harvest specialty crops around the world to bring you the widest possible palette of natural food colors.
Reach out today to learn more about our natural orange food colors and how we can support your food production.
1. How flowers get their color.
2. Which pollinators like orange.
3. Pteridine pigments color some bird feathers.
4. Pteridine pigments are also responsible for some lizard coloring.
5. The pigment responsible to color monarch butterfly wings orange.
6. Monarch butterflies' struggle to survive.
7. Neon-colored dart frogs.
8. Rainbow mountain formation.
9. Orange associated with "joy."
10. Associations with orange.
11. Orange in packaging.
12. Orange is highly visible.
13. Orange symbolism.
14. Cultural differences regarding orange.
15. More cultural differences regarding orange.
16. Etymology of the color orange.
17. Orange idioms.
18. About realgar and oripiment.
19. Cadmium is toxic.
20. Natural orange dyes.
21. The color orange associated with sweet and sour.
22. The impact of orange in food packaging.
23. Orange indicates convenience and affordability.
24. History of artificial orange color in USA.
25. The nine artificial colors approved in USA.