Color perception has long been recognized as a fundamental criterion by which consumers assess food quality, influencing purchasing decisions and consumption behavior worldwide. The widespread incorporation of synthetic food colorants over the past decades is largely attributed to their chemical stability and cost-effectiveness. However, mounting scientific evidence has spotlighted the adverse health implications related to synthetic dyes, raising alarm among both consumers and regulatory agencies. This concern has catalyzed a shifting paradigm within the food industry, where natural pigments derived from plants, animals, and microorganisms are increasingly viewed as viable, safer substitutes. The inherent benefits of these natural colorants extend beyond aesthetics to encompass antioxidant and antibacterial properties, positioning them as multifunctional additives that not only enhance food appearance but also promote shelf life and safety.
Despite their expanding prominence, the practical application of natural pigments confronts several technical hurdles. Principal among these are the challenges associated with extraction technologies, which frequently result in low pigment yield and variable purity. Additionally, natural pigments tend to exhibit marked sensitivity to environmental factors such as pH fluctuations, temperature, and light exposure, which can undermine their stability and color consistency. This limitation has emerged as a critical barrier, hindering broader industrial adoption and necessitating the development of innovative extraction and stabilization methods capable of preserving pigment integrity under diverse processing and storage conditions.
Efforts leveraging advanced techniques such as microwave-assisted and high-pressure extraction have demonstrated potential in improving efficiency and selectivity of natural pigment isolation from food waste and biomass. Nonetheless, the implementation of these methods at an industrial scale is often constrained by substantial capital investment requirements and operational complexities. Consequently, scalable, cost-effective, and sustainable approaches remain urgently needed. Furthermore, the inherent batch-to-batch variability in natural pigment composition, attributable to differences in botanical and environmental factors, poses significant challenges for ensuring consistent color quality and regulatory compliance—especially when manufacturers seek to produce globally standardized products.
The multifaceted functionality of natural pigments extends to intelligent food packaging applications, where their pH-sensitive chromatic responses can serve as real-time freshness indicators. This innovative intersection of colorant chemistry and smart packaging technology offers consumers unprecedented transparency into food spoilage dynamics, potentially reducing food waste and enhancing safety. However, commercial realization of such systems is contingent upon overcoming pigment instability and integrating sensor components compatible with diverse packaging materials and regulatory frameworks.
In this rapidly evolving landscape, interdisciplinary collaboration stands as a cornerstone for advancing natural pigment utilization. The convergence of expertise across chemistry, biology, materials science, and engineering fosters the design of novel extraction protocols and formulation strategies that bolster pigment stability and efficacy. Advances in bioinformatics and material characterization techniques further illuminate pigment structure-function relationships, enabling tailored modifications to optimize their compatibility with complex food matrices and processing regimes.
Beyond food applications, natural pigments have garnered attention for their promising roles within the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. Their vibrant color profiles and biocompatibility make them ideal candidates for cosmetic dyes, particularly in products like lipsticks that demand vivid and stable pigmentation. Here, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is revolutionizing color formulation, enabling rapid, precise pigment blending that minimizes trial-and-error efforts. AI algorithms also optimize extraction parameters by analyzing vast experimental datasets to identify ideal temperature, pH, solvent ratios, and extraction times, facilitating real-time process control and scalability.
The antioxidant and antimicrobial capacities intrinsic to many natural pigments further hint at their untapped therapeutic potential. In medicine, these properties inspire applications ranging from biosensors for pathogen detection to anti-aging skin care formulations. Notably, certain pigments have exhibited cardioprotective effects, suggesting utility in preventing degeneration of the cardiovascular system and diseases such as atherosclerosis. Additionally, ongoing research explores their anti-cancer mechanisms, which could pave the way for novel chemotherapeutic agents grounded in natural bioactive compounds.
Natural pigments also function as innovative drug delivery vehicles. Their biocompatibility and inherent bioactivity position them as promising carriers to enhance drug targeting and bioavailability, potentially overcoming limitations of conventional pharmaceutical formulations. This dual role as both active agents and delivery platforms exemplifies the versatility of natural pigments and underscores the need for comprehensive biochemical and pharmacokinetic evaluations to unlock their full clinical potential.
Crucially, regulatory heterogeneity across global markets complicates the industrialization of natural pigments. Stringent and divergent safety assessments and approval processes for food contact materials necessitate meticulous formulation adjustments tailored to each jurisdiction. Overcoming these regulatory challenges requires coordinated efforts among industry stakeholders, policymakers, and scientific communities to establish universal standards that harmonize safety and efficacy requirements while fostering innovation.
Despite the promise, significant knowledge gaps persist regarding the long-term stability of pigment-rich products, their behavior during prolonged storage, and consistency across production batches. There is an evident need for systematic studies elucidating the physicochemical transformations that occur over time and how these impact sensory attributes, bioactivities, and consumer acceptance. Moreover, understanding the influence of natural pigment incorporation on the flavor profile and structural integrity of diverse food systems remains an underexplored yet critical dimension of formulation science.
Addressing these challenges aligns with broader sustainability goals. By replacing synthetic dyes with natural alternatives derived from renewable resources—including agricultural and food processing waste—industries can minimize environmental burdens associated with chemical synthesis and residue accumulation. This transition also contributes to circular economy initiatives, valorizing waste streams while fostering innovation in green chemistry and process engineering.
The integration of AI and machine learning serves as a transformative force accelerating these advancements. Beyond optimizing extraction and formulation, AI-driven real-time monitoring ensures dynamic adjustments to processing conditions, safeguarding pigment quality across variable operational environments. The convergence of big data analytics with laboratory science empowers researchers and manufacturers to rapidly iterate and refine processes, bridging fundamental research and industrial scale production with unprecedented efficiency.
Ultimately, the evolving landscape of natural pigment research and application exemplifies the intersection of consumer health consciousness, technological innovation, and sustainability imperatives. Continued investment in extraction technologies, stabilization techniques, interdisciplinary research, and regulatory harmonization will be vital to unlocking the full potential of natural pigments across food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical domains. Their multifunctional properties not only enhance visual appeal but also confer health benefits and environmental advantages that align with emerging global priorities for safe, sustainable, and transparent product development.
As this sector matures, future innovations may include smart packaging systems integrating natural pigment indicators with IoT platforms for seamless freshness tracking, increasingly sophisticated AI models guiding pigment selection and application, and expanded therapeutic uses capitalizing on the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-cancer properties of these remarkable natural compounds. The potential to redefine coloration technologies while concurrently advancing public health and ecological stewardship positions natural pigments at the forefront of a new industrial revolution—one that blends nature’s palette with cutting-edge science and engineering.
Subject of Research: The study focuses on the extraction, stability, multifunctional applications, and future potential of natural pigments as food colorants, cosmetic ingredients, and medicinal agents.
Article Title: A universal strategy for real-time discrimination and evaluation of food freshness using natural colorants as indicators: from detection to antioxidant and antibacterial properties.
Article References:
Chen, Z., Zheng, J. & Zhou, L. A universal strategy for real-time discrimination and evaluation of food freshness using natural colorants as indicators: from detection to antioxidant and antibacterial properties. npj Sci Food 9, 213 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-025-00568-8
Image Credits: AI Generated
