Plant-based charcoal is an insoluble colorant.
Other names for plant-based charcoal include: vegetable black, vegetable charcoal, carbon black, edible carbon black. It is typically used in suspension form and is mainly applied in candy production, often as a masking agent. It is made by carbonizing plant materials like tree trunks and shells. Its uses include baked goods, grain and cereal products, dairy products, sugar and candied foods, candy, and decorative or coated frozen desserts.
Plant-based charcoal is a natural black pigment that appears as black powdery particles, odorless and tasteless, and insoluble in water or organic solvents. It is produced by carbonizing and refining plant materials such as tree trunks and shells. Plant-based charcoal is a natural, edible black pigment used mainly for coloring. Plant-based activated charcoal, on the other hand, is derived from plant materials like wood chips, bamboo, coconut shells, or fruit shells through physical or chemical processes, but plant-based charcoal specifically refers to the carbonized and refined plant material used as a food additive. Activated charcoal, however, is a non-edible processing aid in food production that primarily serves as an adsorbent and decolorizer.
As a black pigment, food processing aid, and adsorbent, plant-based charcoal can be used in candy, biscuits, pastries, rice, and flour products, with a maximum usage of 5.0 g/kg. Practical usage examples: when producing licorice candy, a 4% concentration of a 30% plant-based black pigment solution is used to make black candy; when making chocolate cookies, plant-based charcoal is combined with paprika for coloring, with an addition rate of 4% relative to the amount of flour used.
