Egg products are key ingredients in manufacturing mayonnaise, (egg) pasta and cakes and have major influence on food colour. Surveys indicate that consumers consistently prefer more yellow egg-containing food, which is probably due to the rationale 'more yellow, more egg'.  Through the years DSM has built-up extensive knowledge on consumer preferences and developed a number of tools to help you to control food colour.

Food colour homogeneity is important. Consumers may perceive colour varieties in different packs of the same product brand (e.g. mayonnaise) as quality differences, which can negatively influence their purchase decision. Colour of egg containing food can be controlled via:

• Food ingredients, e.g. beta-carotene:
  - straight forward process;
  - should be declared on food labels;
  - not always possible in some food applications or countries (egg pasta in Europe).

• Feed ingredients, e.g. similar carotenoids (available from DSM: CAROPHYLL®), in laying hen feed, which provide a natural colour to the egg yolk:
  - valid for all global food applications and countries;
  - cleaner food label (no need to declare);
  - simple implementation through concrete colour specifications to egg product suppliers;
  - innovative approach by the Italian egg pasta industry and recently growing in Japan.

A fan... and more
DSM customers that buy carotenoids (CAROPHYLL®) get the DSM yolk colour fan free of charge! This tool was first launched in 1969 and has been widely accepted in the food chain as the industry quality standard for objectively assessing eg yolk colour. However, we have more to offer. As the largest global producer of vitamins and carotenoids for the food and feed industry, DSM can support you to control food colour with:

• extensive knowledge on consumer preferences regarding egg containing food colour;
• egg product specifications to match food colour targets;
• a portable fast test (results within 10 minutes!) to control egg product colour specifications;
• feed indications to egg farmers and egg product suppliers to match specifications (click here for more information);
• extensive know-how;
• full commitment to safety and traceability in the food chain;
• minimum or even no extra cost (to be determined case by case).

Contact your local DSM representative and discover the unlimited true colours of DSM!