The city of Aachen is home not only to its famed cathedral and “Printen” gingerbread, but also to a company founded in 1978 that is dedicated to plant-based food colourings. With EXBERRY®, GNT has created an unparalleled brand. Its approximately 480 employees in eleven countries around the world conduct research, production and consultation, all in adherence to the maxim, “Colour is at our core.”

By Dr. Jörg Häseler

During a recent visit, Managing Director Petra Thiele gave me a tour of the premises of this family-owned-&-operated company, now in its second generation. As a food technologist, she is highly enthusiastic about foodstuff-based food colourings, particularly given that food product colouring is currently experiencing a boom as many manufacturers in the confectionery sector rely on the corresponding ingredients. E numbers are rarely a lucrative inclusion in an ingredients list, but with GNT products this labelling can be phrased positively: “With colourings made from fruits and vegetables.”

Before the foodstuffs used as food colourings can be offered commercially, they go through a long process that begins in the fields where contract farmers grow carrots, radishes and/or red beets, as well as cultivating the spirulina algae that serves as the source for the colour blue. But these aren’t the company’s only sources. GNT’s agricultural scientists are constantly on the lookout for lucrative plants that can be used as food dyes. Each foodstuff used for colouring must meet the GNT’s requirements in accordance with its FSA standards and its IFS food certification. Special attention is given to the stability of the concentrates used to dye the finished product, and this involves the consideration of numerous influential factors. Some products change their colour drastically depending on the pH value. To this end, it can make a great deal of sense to combine colouring foodstuffs to achieve the desired hue.

Our experiences play an outsized role in our perception of colours. Colour can promote a feeling of adventure and positive experiences. It can equally be an expression of strength and foster trust in a product’s benefits. Colour also enhances the fun and sense of excitement when we eat, ultimately serving as inspiration and as a tool of experimentation. And lest we forget, colour increases the enjoyment of eating, lends a sense of anticipation and encourages us to share with others.

Consumers perceive naturalness as being more sustainable, healthier, of higher quality and more trustworthy. The Ukraine war and the price increases related to it leave us feeling in need of a (mental) escape, a flight into a happier, heartier state of mind, and colour can intensify this flight of imagination. As such, consuming food products is not simply about nutrition in the conventional sense, but is instead far more an emotional, sensory experience we have in the process.

Customers in more than 75 countries use GNT products, with the declarations differing vastly in some cases. For this reason, the company offers regulatory support to provide clarity in relation to specific customer questions, as ingredient declarations are subject to different regulations in different countries (Fig.). Exberry® products are vegan, halal and kosher. Its range of services also includes quality documentation and concept innovation, including insight into market trends.

“Our agricultural engineers have direct access to our contract farmers’ fields, and they supervise the cultivation up to the harvest. This helps us maintain our high standards of quality. We conduct comprehensive controls throughout the entire manufacturing process to comply with the FSSC 22000 quality standards. Innovative farming techniques are the guarantee of our success,” Ms Thiele explains further. This is how minimum colour degradation during transport is achieved. All this culminates in the production of some 8,000 tonnes of food colourings annually that are used in over 35 billion portions of beverages and food.

GNT has also taken on an additional challenge of providing vegan sausage products with an appealing colour, given that most are said to be quite colourless. “That’s no trivial task,” reports application technician Björn Krimmel based on his experience.

Within the framework of these processes, each customer receives comprehensive service starting with colour matching and extending through performance testing, heat and lighting tests along with support in upscaling.

A mini-workshop provided the opportunity to become more familiar with the product applications, and also featured discussion about the classification and labelling of food colouring products.

GNT will work with its contract farmers to raise the sustainability of the farmland to the next level through integrated pest control, nutrient efficiency and biodiversity projects. “We will further reduce our ecological footprint through continuing improvements in the raw goods and new farming technology innovations,” emphasises Petra Thiele. New measures will also be implemented to maximise energy and water efficiency and decrease the CO2 footprint in the production facilities. Byproducts from the GNT products are to be used more intensively to increase recyclability and reduce emissions during transport to the minimum by means of more efficient products.

With constant innovations in the supply chain, the concentrates produced with the Exberry® label will help the food and beverage brands manufacture quality products with a small ecological footprint. In its role as a preferred business partner, GNT works together with the brands to pursue the most sustainable possible approach.