The carmine dilemma: does the natural colourant preference outweigh nausea?
ISSN: 0007-070X
Article publication date: 31 July 2018
Issue publication date: 16 August 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the consumers’ perception of natural and artificial food colourants. Furthermore, attitudes towards the application of carmine, being technically important and ubiquitously used to impart red shades, are assessed and analysed. Originating from insects, carmine is considered as natural but may arouse disgust.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 625 individuals were surveyed using an online, self-administered questionnaire to represent a broad cross-section of the German population.
Findings
Independent of their origin, the application of colourants was rejected by 57.0 per cent of the interviewees. In total, 31.8 per cent of the participants stated a neutral attitude, while only 11.2 per cent expressed a positive notion. Most respondents preferred colourants from natural sources to artificial ones. While consumers perceive natural food colourants composed of genuine plant pigments positively, 61.6 per cent of respondents disliked the application of animal-derived colourants, 24.8 per cent of them did neither reject nor like it, and only 13.6 per cent of the interviewees stated a positive attitude towards them. The findings of this paper further indicate consumers’ preference for colourants to be either artificial or plant-derived rather than carmine. Food colourants are being rejected, possibly due to misleading information and confusing labelling. Consequently, information about carmine, including its origin and production, did not increase the aversion to products that are dyed with it, but increased their acceptance.
Originality/value
This study outlines consumer perception and attitudes towards food colourants. For the first time, the findings of this paper report the effect of revealing information about an additive, which initially aroused disgust, and its influence on consumer perception.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Ralf M. Schweiggert (University of Hohenheim) for the fruitful discussions. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public domain, commercial sector, or any non-profit organisations.
Citation
Müller-Maatsch, J., Jasny, J., Henn, K., Gras, C. and Carle, R. (2018), "The carmine dilemma: does the natural colourant preference outweigh nausea?", British Food Journal, Vol. 120 No. 8, pp. 1915-1928. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-12-2017-0671
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited