Natural food colorants from fruits: exetraction and application in food industry— a review

The food industry is traditionally dependent on synthetic colorants to enhance visual appeal and consumer’s attraction. However, growing health concerns among consumers and regulatory restriction have possessed to identify safer natural alternatives from plants. Fruits serve a promising source of natural colorants with added health benefits due to presence of different bioactive pigments such as anthocyanins, carotenoids, betalains, and chlorophylls. These compounds not only enhance aesthetic value of food but also offer antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other functional properties. However, challenges persist in their extraction, stability, and sustainability. Natural pigments are often sensitive to environmental factors such as light, temperature, and pH, limiting their commercial application. In response, recent research has focused on optimizing extraction and stabilization techniques to improve pigment yield and stability while maintaining their bioactivity. This review summarizes recent studies, highlighting advances in the identification, extraction and application of fruit-derived colorants in food systems. Emphasis is placed on their dual role as coloring agents and functional ingredients. Overall, fruit-based colorants signify a viable, health-conscious alternative to synthetic colours, though further innovation is needed to enhance their stability, bioavailibity and commercial feasibility.