Colorant
close Coloring agent definition: any substance that can make the substance appear the color required by the design is called a colorant. It can be organic or inorganic, natural or synthetic. The chemical synthetic pigments allowed to be used in China include amaranth, carmine, red moss, new red, lemon yellow, sunset yellow, indigo, brilliant blue, and various pigments to enhance the dispersibility of the above water-soluble acid pigments in oils. There are 45 kinds of natural pigments allowed to be used in China: beet red, shellac red, blueberry red, chili red, red rice red, etc. Colorants are mainly divided into pigments and dyes. Pigments can be divided into organic pigments and inorganic pigments according to their structures. Dyes are organic compounds that can be used in most solvents and dyed plastics. They have the advantages of low density, high coloring power and good transparency, but their general molecular structure is small, and they are easy to migrate when coloring. According to the source, colorants can be divided into two categories: natural colorants and synthetic colorants. Natural colorants are carotenoids extracted or processed from animals, plants and microorganisms. At present, the natural pigments widely accepted and used in the international market mainly include the marigold pigment derivatives (lutein) and capsicum pigment derivatives (capsanthin). In addition, natural animals and plants are often used as colorants in China; For example, ginseng stem and leaf powder, marigold powder, purple essence powder, cassava leaf powder, pine needle leaf powder, orange peel powder, leucaena leucocephala leaf powder, carrot, shrimp and crab shell powder, seaweed, etc. are used as colorants for livestock, poultry and aquatic products. Synthetic colorants are mainly carotenoids. For example, β - apo-8-carotaldehyde (C30H40O) or β - apo-8-carotinoid ethyl ester (C32H44O), as well as citrin (C33H44O), cantharidin, kallizine, kallizine, and lucondine.