New Food Advancement- SPIRULINA is The New Blue
Last week I ranted about the many health benefits of SEAWEED and now there’s another perk coming from the algae family! SPIRULINA, a blue-green freshwater algae, was recently approved by the FDA as a “natural” food color extract for candy and gum in the United States. Mars Inc. petitioned for “spirulina extract” to become an approved coloring additive, and their dreams finally came true!
While I never encourage the consumption of foods with dyes and colorings, it is exciting that this sea vegetable will start to replace more artificial dyes such as FD&C Blue #1. As an avid gum-chewer, I would much rather have this “natural” (FDA has not defined the term, “natural”, hence the quotes) source of coloring in my bubbles than something solely created in the lab. Moreover, testing proved that there is a low probability of allergens from the proteins in phycocyanins, the main coloring component in this additive.
Look out for “spirulina extract” to reach labels near you as early as mid-late September!
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