Purple Carrot Powder

Purple Carrot Powder is a water-soluble, plant-derived colorant made from Daucus carota ssp. sativus. It provides a vibrant purple to red-purple hue, making it an ideal clean-label alternative to synthetic dyes such as Red 40 and E129.

Our product is carrier-free, non-GMO, and heat-stable, suitable for beverages, confectionery, dairy, bakery, nutraceuticals, and other food applications.

🟣 Key Features 

• 100% natural food colorant from purple carrot
• Water-soluble, easy to disperse
• Bright, stable purple color
• Clean-label, vegan, allergen-free
• Good heat & light stability
• No preservatives, no artificial carriers
• Acceptable in global regulatory standards
• Applicable in both liquid & powder systems

🧬 Chemical & Physical Properties

🦠 Microbiological & Heavy Metals

🧃 Color Performance & Stability

Best performance in pH 3.0–4.0 systems, suitable for:

• Fruit drinks
• Carbonated beverages
• Gummies
• Dairy drinks
• Plant-based beverages
• Ice cream & yogurt
• Sport drinks
• Displays bright purple to reddish-purple, depending on matrix & pH.

🧪 Recommended Usage Levels

Adjust based on desired color intensity.

Purple carrot's phytochemical profile is more architecturally complex than most natural colorant sources - and understanding that complexity is what separates informed formulation decisions from commodity purchasing.

Primary Bioactives: Acylated Anthocyanins

The anthocyanin fraction of purple carrot is dominated by acylated cyanidin glycosides. The acylation - esterification of the sugar moiety with a hydroxycinnamic acid - is the structural feature that confers the exceptional stability properties that distinguish purple carrot from non-acylated anthocyanin sources.

The acylated anthocyanins typically constitute 80–90% of the total anthocyanin fraction in well-selected purple carrot cultivars. This ratio is a key quality parameter - a high proportion of non-acylated anthocyanins in a purple carrot powder indicates either suboptimal cultivar selection or degradation of acylated forms during processing.

Why Acylation Matters: The Stability Science

The acyl group on the sugar moiety of acylated anthocyanins participates in intramolecular co-pigmentation - a stacking interaction between the aromatic acyl group and the anthocyanin chromophore that shields the flavylium cation from nucleophilic attack by water molecules. This mechanism is responsible for:

Enhanced thermal stability - Acylated anthocyanins from purple carrot retain significantly more color than non-acylated anthocyanins (e.g., from elderberry or red grape) when subjected to heat processing conditions (pasteurization, UHT, retort)

Improved photostability - Reduced photobleaching under UV and visible light exposure

Broader pH color range - Color expression maintained across a wider pH range compared to non-acylated anthocyanins

Secondary Phytochemicals

The production of purple carrot pigment typically involves the following steps:

• Raw Material Preparation: Fresh purple carrots are selected as the raw material and thoroughly cleaned to remove impurities.
• Physical Processing: The cleaned carrots are peeled, cored, and then finely crushed.
• Extraction: The crushed carrots are placed in a flask and extracted with 80% ethanol (solid-liquid ratio of 1:2) at pH 3-4 under reflux for 1 hour. The mixture is then filtered hot, and the residue is extracted again with 80% ethanol for 30 minutes under reflux, followed by hot filtration.
• Combination and Concentration: The combined extracts are rotary evaporated to remove ethanol, and the residue is freeze-dried to obtain a crude product.
• Separation and Purification: The crude anthocyanins are purified using AB-8 macroporous resin. The purification process involves adsorption, elution of sugars and pigments, elution of impurities, and elution with different concentrations of ethanol at specific pH values.
• Final Processing: The purified anthocyanin solution is rotary evaporated (40°C, 30 rpm) and then freeze-dried to obtain the final purple carrot pigment product, which is stored at a low temperature (below 4°C).
• Quality Control: Throughout the production process, strict control and monitoring of parameters such as reactant concentration, temperature, and reaction time are essential to ensure the quality and stability of the purple carrot pigment.

Through these steps, purple carrot pigment with vibrant color and good stability can be produced, finding wide applications in the food, beverage, and cosmetic industries.

Purple carrot powder's dual identity - as a high-stability natural colorant and a functional ingredient with documented antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytochemistry - makes it one of the most commercially versatile clean-label ingredients available to formulators today.

The clean-label colorant imperative: Regulatory pressure on synthetic colorants - particularly azo dyes - and consumer demand for recognizable ingredient declarations have created sustained demand for natural alternatives. Purple carrot powder, with its EU E163 status, organic certification availability, and superior stability profile relative to most other anthocyanin sources, is positioned at the premium end of this market. The ability to declare "purple carrot powder" or "purple carrot juice powder" on a label - rather than "anthocyanin extract" or a coded additive number - is a meaningful commercial differentiator for brands targeting clean-label retail channels.

This is the comparison that matters most for formulators evaluating natural purple/red colorant options. The stability advantage of purple carrot's acylated anthocyanins is real, measurable, and directly relevant to application performance.

Anthocyanin Source Comparison

Spray-Dried vs. Freeze-Dried Purple Carrot Powder

The honest guidance: For food and beverage colorant applications where heat stability and clean-label declaration are the primary drivers, purple carrot spray-dried powder is the most commercially pragmatic choice - superior stability to elderberry and grape skin, cleaner flavor profile than red cabbage, and a more recognizable label declaration than "anthocyanin extract." For premium supplement and cosmetic applications where maximum anthocyanin content and whole-food matrix integrity are required, freeze-dried grade is the appropriate specification.

Full certificate copies are available upon request. NDA/CDA execution is supported for buyers conducting supplier qualification under confidentiality requirements.

√ 13 years of manufacturing experience

√ 6 workshops, 10 production lines

√ Annual capacity 6,000 MT

√ cGMP, ISO22000, FSSC22000, HACCP, ISO9001, Halal, Kosher

√ Customized mesh size, color value, and blends

√ OEM/ODM formulation-to-finish support

√ Full documentation available: COA, MSDS, TDS, Nutritional Data

• 1kg / aluminum foil bag
• 25kg / drum with liner
• Custom packaging for private label, blends
• Shelf life: 24 months in cool, dry conditions
• Global shipping support

Jiuyuan Biotech supplies Purple Carrot Powder to food manufacturers, supplement brands, and contract formulators across North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. Our technical team - not a generic sales inbox - handles every inquiry.

Email: info@jiuyuanbio.com

Website: www.jiuyuanbio.com

Request: Sample| Bulk Quote | CoA & Spec Sheet | Custom Carrier Ratio

Standard response time: within 1 business day. Please include your target application and annual volume estimate for the most relevant technical recommendation.