Blue raspberry flavor
Food flavoring
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Blue raspberry is a manufactured flavoring and food coloring for candy, snack foods, syrups, and soft drinks.[1][2][3] The flavor does not derive from any species of raspberry, but rather was developed using esters that are part of the flavor profile of pineapple, banana, and cherry.[2][4] Sugar is commonly added to create taste appeal for the blue raspberry flavor.[2]
Food products labeled as blue raspberry flavor are commonly dyed with a bright blue synthetic food coloring, such as brilliant blue FCF—also called FD&C Blue No. 1 or European food coloring number E133.[5]
The blue color was used to differentiate raspberry-flavored foods from those for cherry, watermelon, and strawberry, each of which is typically red.[1][2] The use of blue dye also partially is due to the U S. Food and Drug Administration's 1976 banning of amaranth-based Red Dye No. 2, which had previously been commonly used in raspberry-flavored products.[2][3]
Composition
"Blue raspberry" flavors used in confectionery and frozen beverages are typically formulated from aroma chemicals blended to suggest fresh raspberry, and then colored with FD&C Blue No. 1.[1][3]
History
Blue raspberry flavoring debuted commercially in the United States in 1958 with snow cone syrup.[3] Its wider adoption followed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) 1969 approval of FD&C Blue No. 1.[4] This regulatory change encouraged other companies, including The Icee Company and Otter Pops, to introduce blue raspberry products in the early 1970s.[2][3]
See also
- Rubus leucodermis – a fruit-bearing plant that is sometimes called the "blue raspberry"
