This article describes the use of titanium dioxide pigments and/or iron oxide pigments based on platelet substrates for food and pharmaceutical coloring.

In addition to their functional applications, pearlescent pigments and interference color pigments are also increasingly used to enhance the visual effects of products, such as in cosmetics, because vivid colors and effects can bring a pleasing effect to viewers and consumers subjective impression. Because in the preparation of pearlescent pigments, such as for cosmetic cosmetics, the purity and quality of the pigments are very strict, and the pearlescent pigments should also be able to be used in food to improve the coloring effect or be used for coloring.

Therefore, the aim was to expand the currently known assortment of shades using pearlescent pigments or interference pigments for coloring food and pharmaceuticals in order to give products with even more enhanced sensory effects. For medicines, it is especially important to enhance the visual effect, as this allows for a clearer distinction between differently colored tablets, dragees, etc.

Surprisingly, it has now been found that for the visual enhancement of foods and pharmaceuticals, sheet-like substrates coated with titanium dioxide and/or iron oxide are particularly suitable. Iron oxide pigments refer to flaky substrates that can be coated not only with Fe2O3 but also with Fe3O4. In particular, combining titanium dioxide pigments and/or Fe3O4 pigments with natural or equivalent natural pigments, colorants or colorants derived from fruits and plants brings attractive new colors to foods. Through the coloring of food, new variations and nuances in color based on the unconventional as needed can be taken into account at the same time.

The present invention therefore relates to the use of titanium dioxide pigments and/or iron oxide pigments based on platelet substrates for the colouring of foods and medicines.

Colored foods and pharmaceuticals are distinguished by new color effects based on the refraction of light by pearlescent pigments and give viewers and consumers a pleasant subjective impression. This optical effect is not possible with colorants currently permitted for use in food. Titanium dioxide pigments and iron oxide pigments based on platelet bases are very easy to disperse into the medium to be coloured compared to pigments permitted for food such as vegetable charcoal (Pflanzenkohle) E153. Furthermore, the stability of the thus colored product to light and moisture is significantly increased. Vitamin preparations in particular have a longer shelf life. For colored tablets, delayed release of the active ingredient has been observed in many cases.

It has been found that even relatively small amounts of titanium dioxide pigments and/or iron oxide pigments can impart new attractive colors and new properties to foods or pharmaceuticals. Excellent results are obtained even if the product is coloured with 0.005-15.0%, preferably 0.01-6.0%, especially preferably 0.1-2.0% by weight, based on the weight of the product, of pearlescent pigments.

If the pigment is directly added to food or medicine during production, the amount of the pigment is preferably 0.005-4% by weight. In the case of surface treatment of food or tablet, the amount of pigment is in the range of 0.02-15.0% by weight of the colorant solution or coating solution, preferably 0.5-6.0%.