Merrick1

Quinn Merrick

Mrs. Stevens & Mrs. Radcliffe

Physical Science

13 January 2017

Which Color of Food Coloring Fades the Most During Baking?

People have been using different items from nature to dye their food since as early as 400

B.C.E. Throughout history people have used things like saffron, flowers, fruit, and minerals to

color their food and to make it look appealing. Once we started making artificial food dye slight

fading of the original color has occurred. Why does our food coloring fade? What brands dont

fade as much? What colors fade the fastest? These are all questions that will be answered in this

paper and will hopefully help you prevent fading of your sweet treats. Because of this, I predict

that if I bake four batches of cupcakes with four different colors, then the red cupcakes will fade

the most.

What Is Food Coloring Made Of?

And do Different Brands of Food Coloring Produce More Brilliant Colors?

Food coloring is made in a lab with a chemical made from petroleum. Petroleum is a

crude oil that is also in tar, asphalt, diesel fuel, and gasoline. Red food coloring, however, is

made from Cochineal bugs. Cochineal bugs have red liquid inside them that is used for the color

of the food dye. Manufacturers grind up the bugs until they become a powder. The powder is

then mixed with water to make the final product (Lisa). Liquid gel dye produces more brilliant

colors than liquid dye. This is because you cant get a brilliant color from liquid food coloring

without adding a large amount of it. Because the color is more concentrated in liquid gel dye you
 Merrick2

dont need as much of it to make brilliant colors. Gel paste dye is very effective even though you

only need a very small amount. Natural food coloring is much more dull than all of the other

brands because it only contains natural ingredients (Moore).

Why Does Fading Occur?

The main cause for fading are ultraviolet rays. In the dye there are things called

chromospheres. Chromospheres can absorb light. When the chromospheres absorb the ultraviolet

rays, the ultraviolet rays break down the chemical bonds, and the color fades. (Ultraviolet). The

temperature and humidity can also affect the fading process. However objects that reflect light

are less prone to fading. Fading is a bleaching effect. Once something fades or is damaged it

cant be repaired. (Color).

How Do You Accurately Measure the Amount a Color Fades?

There are several ways that you can measure the amount a color fades. One way is by

using color meters. Color meters measure the black and white index, the red and green index,

and the blue and yellow index. A spectrophotometer is what is used to measure the color in

liquids. To measure the color in solids you use imaging or you can measure the pixel density.

Finally, you can use the munsell system which consists of using color samples to compare and

match the color you want it look like. All of these instruments are very expensive. The munsell

system would be the most easy to use for cheap(Ashley).

What Pigments Fade the Most In Sunlight?

Red fades the quickest and the most out of the colors of the food dye. Blue and violet do

not fade as fast because they have greater energy. Red absorbs short-wavelength light which

means it absorbs ultraviolet light, which is what causes colors to fade (Color). Red, orange, and
 Merrick3

yellow fade the quickest out of the colors. This is because they arent as stable over time. When

chemical activity comes from the sun, red orange and yellow lose the ability to keep their colors

bright. When sunlight reacts with the chromophores in the color it changes their structure which

causes them to lose color. If you mix any of these colors with white they will fade faster.

(Jenkins).

What Type Of Food Dye Is the Best For Coloring Cakes?

Gel paste dye and liquid dye food coloring are the best for dying cakes. They offer more

of a vibrant result with less dye. Since you need less dye with the liquid gel food coloring, it

shouldnt alter the flavor too much. However, it has a thick texture which means its harder to

work into dough (Nicole). Gel paste dye is very effective with a small amount. It is one of the

best to use when dying batter. It produces dark colors when added to batter. Use with caution

because it is easy to add too much. It is also even thicker than liquid gel which means it is

extremely hard to work into batter. (Gallary).

How Does Baking Temperature and Time Affect the Fading of a Cake's Color?

Time and temperature definitely affect the fading of a cakes color in some ways. If you

bake a cake at a lower temp, it will be paler which might mean the color wont fade as much. If

you bake it at a higher temp, it will become darker and might make the colors darker and might

fade them slightly. Sugar lowers the caramelization point of the batter which allows the cake to

color at a lower temperature. Maillard reactions cause the cake to brown on the top when close to

finished with baking. (Andy). Baking at 350 degrees shouldnt cause the color to fade too much

and the cake should have a good consistency. At 300 degrees to 325 degrees, the top wont

brown much so the color shouldnt fade at all (Stone). If you put food coloring in white cake it
 Merrick4

will show up more at the end of the baking process. If you have acidic ingredients in your cake

with brown food coloring it will show up as a greenish color. Chocolate cake will most likely not

hold on to colors as well as other cake colors.(Catdog).

If I bake four batches of cupcakes with four different colors, then the red cupcakes will

fade the most. The fading of cakes color is not only unfortunate for baking personally. It also

can affect bakeries, factories, and grocery stores. Faded cake color might even affect sales and

aesthetic appeal. By reading this paper and knowing what colors fade more than others, it can

hopefully help you raise sales, gather more customers, and improve your personal baking.
 Merrick5

Works Cited

Ashley, Vince Calder, Jeannine M. Durdik, and Michael Loop. "Measuring Color Fading."

Measuring Color Fading. Argonne National Labratory, June 2012. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.

<https://stab-iitb.org/newton-mirror/askasci/gen01/gen01906.htm>.

Catdog. "Add Food Coloring to Food." WikiHow. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.

<http://www.wikihow.com/Add-Food-Coloring-to-Food>.

Connelly, Andy. "The Science of Cake | Andy Connelly." The Guardian. Guardian News and

Media, 09 June 2010. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.

<https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2010/jun/09/science-cake-baking-andy-conn

elly>.

.Gallary, Christine. "A Guide to Food Coloring Types and How to Use Them - Buying Guides

from The Kitchn." The Kitchn. AT Media, 05 Dec. 2014. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.

<http://www.thekitchn.com/heres-a-guide-to-food-coloring-types-and-how-to-use-them-b

uying-guides-from-the-kitchn-213409>.

Jenkins, V.C. "Paint Color Often Just Fades AwayBut Does It Have To?" Webfoot Seriously

Great Painters. Northwest Graphic | SEO | Mobile Web Design, 2016. Web. 2 Nov. 2016.

<http://webfootpainting.com/blog/2011/01/heres-an-interesting-article-about-howwhy-pa

int-fades/>.

Lisa. "Real Food Tips: 7 Reasons I Hate Artificial Food Dyes - 100 Days of Real Food." 100

Days of Real Food. DAYS OF REAL FOOD, 01 Dec. 2013. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.

<http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/03/13/real-food-tips-7-reasons-i-hate-artificial

-food-dyes/>.
 Merrick6

Moore, Jessie Oleson. "Types of Food Coloring: A Look at Liquids, Gels & More." The Craftsy

Blog. 2016 CRAFTSY & SYMPOZ INC., 29 Sept. 2015. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.

<https://www.craftsy.com/blog/2013/10/types-of-food-coloring/>.

Nicole. "How to Add Food Coloring to Cake Batter." Baking Bites. N.p., 6 May 2014. Web. 03

Nov. 2016. <http://bakingbites.com/2014/05/how-to-add-food-coloring-to-cake-batter/>.

Stone, Summer, Elizabeth P. Says, Fanny Says, Racheal Says, Priya Says, Jodi Nieuwstadt Says,

Tarwin Says, Stella Vega Says, and Godfrey Ablen Says. "Baking Temperature

Comparison." The Cake Blog. The Cake Blog, 08 June 2015. Web. 05 Jan. 2017.

<http://thecakeblog.com/2015/04/baking-temperature-comparison.html>.

"Which Color Fades the Fastest?" Reference. Reference An IAC Publishing Labs Company,

2016. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.

<https://www.reference.com/science/color-fades-fastest-9b1fdaf25522e5a8>.

"Why Does Ultraviolet Light Cause Color to Fade?" Why Does Ultraviolet Light Cause Color to

Fade? (Everyday Mysteries: Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress). The

Library of Congress, 23 Aug. 2010. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.

<https://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/colors.html>.

Yoquinto, Luke. "The Truth About Red Food Dye Made from Bugs." Live Science. Purch, 27

Apr. 2012. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.

<http://www.livescience.com/36292-red-food-dye-bugs-cochineal-carmine.html>.