Sethness liquid Caramel Colors, Class I Caramelized Sugar Syrups and powdered Caramel Colors are used in a variety of sauces and seasoning applications including:
Sethness liquid Caramel Colors are primarily used in BBQ sauce applications; however, in some instances powdered Caramel Colors can be used. Our liquid Caramel Colors offer tones from dark red to light brown to dark brown. Sethness can also provide the perfect Caramel Color for high salt content sauces, and applications that require low sulfite, positively charged Caramel Colors.
Gravies and gravy bases utilize a number of Sethness Caramel Colors to provide the perfect hue for rich looking gravies. Dry gravy base formulations must consider whether the final color will be in liquid or dry form. In dry applications, a salt and pepper effect can occur when the powdered Caramel Color particle size interacts with the spices, salts, or fillers. Pre-mixing steps are recommended to minimize this effect.
Salt content plays an important role in soy and fish sauce applications. These sauces can contain as much as 20-25% salt in addition to the protein from wheat or soybeans. The Sethness Caramel Color used must be compatible with the salt level and the protein (which are positively charged), or the resulting mixture may become hazy or form a precipitate (sedimentation).
Sethness offers two varieties or classes of salt-stable Caramel Colors. Our positively charged, low-sulfite Class III Caramel Colors provide excellent reddish-brown tones, and they are extremely stable in soy sauces. The Sethness Class IV DSL4 offers dark brown tones and will work in applications up to 20% salt.
We recommend that Sethness Caramel Colors are added, along with soy extract and other spices, as early in the process as possible and before cooking. There should be an additional refining process after cooking, which will result in some color loss. At this time, the dosage of caramel should be adjusted accordingly.
Caramel Color is the most widely used colorant in the pancake and waffle syrups. Some of our Sethness liquid Caramel Colors are recommended because of their overall color strength with minimal flavor impact.
Sethness Caramel Color is often used in flavoring extracts to improve the darkness or redness of the products. Some of our liquid Caramel Colors are recommended for darker tones, while our Sethness Caramelized Sugar Syrups are used to deliver sweet notes to the flavors.
In vinegar applications, the ionic charge of the Caramel Colors is critical. Sethness recommends that the vinegar be tested with both positive and negative Caramel Colors in order to see which ionic charge works best.
When vinegar is made from acetic acid, both positive and negative Sethness Caramel Colors work well. If the vinegar is made from natural sources such as grapes or apples, the ionic character may vary. During clarification, bentonite may add positive aluminum ions to the solution. Typically, in these cases, positively-charged Caramel Colors work best.
To perform an ionic compatibility test, simply add a little Sethness Caramel Color to the vinegar and let it sit overnight. The following day, the samples should be examined for sedimentation or turbidity. While sedimentation is easily seen using normal light, turbidity is best checked using a strong backlight such as a microscope lamp. If turbidity or sediments form, there is going to be a problem.
In summary, when working with a vinegar application, the ionic character as well as hue and color strength needs to be evaluated. To ensure a successful formulation, the Caramel Color must be tested for precipitation due to ionic interactions.
The use of powdered Caramel Color in seasoning mixes can help enhance the color. Sethness Caramel Color can add redness and also contribute to the darkening and controlling of brown tones. Knowing the salt content of the seasoning mix is also very important in choosing the correct Sethness Caramel Color.
Sethness offers excellent red-toned Caramel Colors for paprika, chili, and in BBQ and dried mustard blends. Darker-toned Caramel Colors are commonly used in darker meat rubs and instant noodle seasonings.
Both liquid and powdered Sethness Caramel Color can be used in meat rubs. In some applications, Caramel Color is applied directly onto the exterior of the meat. Negatively-charged Caramel Colors tend to soak into the meat, while positively-charged Caramel Colors tend to stick to the exterior of the products.
Sethness’ Class I liquid Caramel Colors such as YT25 and YT90 are recommended for poultry coatings as they create excellent golden tones in poultry coatings. Sethness also provides powdered Caramel Colors that offer a nice reddish blend.
Please contact the Sethness technical team for more specific application guidance.