What is Plant Black Carbon?

Plant black carbon is a black, powdery substance that is odorless, tasteless, and insoluble in water and organic solvents, making it harmless to the human body. It is typically used in the form of a suspension in candies as a coloring agent.

Production of Plant Black Carbon: It is made from plant materials like tree trunks and shells, which are carbonized and refined.

Bamboo and coconut shells can be used as raw materials for producing plant black carbon, but bamboo charcoal and coconut ash do not automatically qualify as food-grade plant black carbon. Whether they can be used in food depends on their production processes meeting "food-grade" standards.

In black ice cream, bamboo charcoal and coconut ash are not processing aids but rather colorants, and they must comply with the product standards and usage regulations for plant black carbon.

Is Plant Black Carbon the Same as Activated Charcoal?

Activated charcoal is produced differently from plant black carbon. Plant materials that undergo incomplete combustion become black carbon, which must be "activated" to become activated charcoal.

In food applications, activated charcoal can be used as a processing aid. The key difference between processing aids and other food additives is that processing aids should be removed as much as possible from the final product; any residual amounts should be minimized, and they should not have any functional effects in the end product.

Plant black carbon can be viewed as "raw" activated charcoal—it's not activated and has weaker adsorption capabilities, though it still has some. Neither activated charcoal nor bamboo charcoal or coconut ash can be absorbed by the human body, meaning they don't enter the bloodstream or body tissues.