4Figure 2: The seven different types of artificial dyes, dissolved in a water solutions.
en.wikipedia.org |
History of food coloringNatural food coloring has been present since before humans, with it's earliest uses being during the Roman civilization where plants and spices such as saffron were used to add color and flavor to common foods. It wasn't until the 19th century that natural food coloring was replaced by synthetic dyes, the first dye being invented in 1856.5
|
Natural dye Origins7Figure 3: This is a cochineal bug, those used since ancient times to extract red dyes. This bug is native to Mexico and is still used for red dyes currently.
|
The history of artificial food coloring dates back to the earliest of civilizations because it was easily accessible and had an interesting appeal. The ancient Greek, Roman, and Aztec people discovered natural dyes through insects and plants. The Aztec and early Mexican and Spanish civilization discovered the bug, cochineal, which is still used today to extract natural red dye by crushing the bug and extracting the dye inside it. On the other hand, the Greek and Roman societies used dyes as a means of changing original food colors to show a sign of high class. For example, bread, wine and popular dishes were altered in color to appear unique and expensive. Additionally, a multitude of groups believed that these natural dyes also held medicinal value and began experimenting with using them as medicine. This led to vast advancement in the knowledge we hold today about natural dyes and catalyzed the popularity of dyes. 6
|
Artificial dye origins9Figure 4: An image of William Henry Perkin, the father of the synthetic dye.
|
The father of the synthetic dye is William Henry Perkin, an English chemist who devoted his life to artificially coloring. At the young age of 18, Perkin was able to extract black precipitate from tar. He then took this extraction and used it to dye silk and upon his findings he discovered it to be much more effective than any other natural dye he had seen. In August of 1856, Perkins place a patent on the first ever artificial dye and from this his prosperity grew because companies began to invest in his new form of dyes which proved more efficient and affordable than those from a natural source. Perkins originally named the dye aniline purple but it was later renamed by the french to it's current name 'mauve'. Perkins created a huge boom in the use of synthetic dyes for the textile industry but it wasn't until the late 1800's that synthetic dyes were applied to foods and we realized that these dyes were safe to ingest. 8
|