Red Cabbage Colour
Red Cabbage Colour is a water-soluble natural colourant extracted from the leaves of red cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. rubra), used for bright pink, red, purple, and blue shades depending on the pH of the finished application.
The pigment fraction is dominated by cyanidin-3-diglucoside-5-glucoside derivatives that are acylated with one or more aromatic acids (p-coumaric, ferulic, sinapic, or caffeic). The acylation pattern stabilises the chromophore against thermal and light degradation, making red cabbage one of the most robust anthocyanin sources for food use.
Red Cabbage Colour is permitted as a food colourant under E163 in the European Union, alongside the broader anthocyanin family, and under the fruit and vegetable juice colour provisions in several other markets.
We source bulk Red Cabbage Colour from top China manufacturers for our partners, working with several of them. The manufacturers are in Yunnan, Jiangxi and Shandong. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
- Packaging
- 20 kg fibre drum, light-shielded
- ISO 9001
- HACCP
- Halal
- Kosher
Specifications
Grades / Types Available: Food Grade
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Dark purple powder or liquid |
| Anthocyanin Content | ≥ 2-10% (grade-dependent) |
| pH Range | Colour-active pH 2-8 |
| Moisture | ≤ 5.0% (powder) |
| Heavy Metals (as Pb) | ≤ 2 mg/kg |
| Total Plate Count | ≤ 1,000 cfu/g |
| Moisture% (powder only) | ≦7 |
| Ash content % | ≦4 |
| Arsenic（AS）mg/kg | ≦2 |
| Lead（pb）mg/kg | ≤5 |
| Total bacterial (cfu/g) | ≤1000 |
| Pathogenic bacteria | Not detectable |
Common Markets Grades
Red Cabbage Colour is graded by anthocyanin content (typically reported as cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalents) and by physical format.
Liquid concentrate grades at anthocyanin contents of 1 to 5 percent are produced for beverage, dairy, and confectionery production lines. Citric acid is commonly included to fix the pH and lock in the red-to-pink shade.
Spray-dried powder grades at 1 to 4 percent anthocyanin content are used in dry blends, seasoning mixes, and tabletop applications. A maltodextrin carrier is typical.
Concentrated juice grades at lower anthocyanin content but with full natural matrix are used in clean-label applications where the ingredient declaration can read simply as red cabbage juice concentrate.
High-purity grades up to 10 percent anthocyanin content, produced by adsorbent chromatography, are used in low-dose applications such as coloured sugar coatings and confectionery centres.
Applications
- Confectionery: gummies, jellies, fruit chews, and panned sugar coatings
- Soft drinks, fruit juices, and flavoured waters in acidic pH ranges
- Ice cream, sorbet, and frozen-dessert ribbons
- Yogurt and flavoured milk products, particularly berry-flavoured variants
- Bakery fillings, frostings, and decorative cake gels
- Jams, jellies, and fruit preparations
- Powdered beverage mixes and effervescent drink tablets
- Pickled vegetables, especially in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern categories
- Pet treats and premium pet food in natural-colour positioning
- Plant-based meat analogues and burger patties for interior pink colour
- Cosmetics and natural-positioning lipstick formulations
Brands Using Red Cabbage Colour
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Red Cabbage Colour on the ingredient label.
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Red Cabbage Colour
Top Red Cabbage Colour manufacturers in China.
CNJ Nature Co., Ltd.9 ingredients in the directory
QingDao PengYuan KangHua Natural Source Co., Ltd.4 ingredients in the directory- Yunnan Borui Bio-tech. Co., Ltd.11 ingredients in the directory
- Yunnan Tonghai Yang Natural Products Co., Ltd.8 ingredients in the directory
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
How We Help Source Red Cabbage Colour
Direct Factory Sourcing
We run the whole process: selecting the manufacturer from the top Chinese food ingredient producers, negotiating the price, verifying quality, and coordinating the logistics. You deal with us instead of with several factories at once.
Original Packaging and Documents from the Manufacturer
The manufacturer sends your Red Cabbage Colour out of its own factory in the original packing, through to your destination port. The COA, COO, MSDS, TDS and any certifications reach you from the manufacturer as well.
Free Samples and Lead Time
We send 100 to 500 g free for your own laboratory to test and you cover only the courier, usually within 2 to 3 working days. ETD is usually within 7 to 15 days once the order is confirmed, and we check that date against the factory's own manufacturing schedule before we give it to you.
Combined Shipment
We can load Red Cabbage Colour together with other ingredients such as Beta Carotene, Caramel Colour and Lycopene into one 20' FCL. If your quantity is small, we can also ship LCL.
Regulatory Status
Red Cabbage Colour is widely permitted as a food colourant.
In the European Union it is regulated under E163, the general listing for anthocyanins, with specifications under Commission Regulation 231/2012. Anthocyanins from vegetable sources, including red cabbage, fall within this listing.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration permits fruit and vegetable juice colours, including red cabbage juice, as colour additives exempt from certification under 21 CFR 73.250 and 21 CFR 73.260. The agency has also published specific listings for anthocyanin-rich preparations from a range of botanical sources.
JECFA has evaluated anthocyanins from grape skin and other sources and has concluded that an ADI is not specified for the class. Pharmacopoeial monographs for red cabbage extract are not generally established, since it is treated as a vegetable preparation.
Halal and Kosher certifications are routinely available, since the substrate is a vegetable and the processing aids can be selected accordingly.
Manufacturing Process
Red Cabbage Colour is produced from cultivars of red cabbage selected for high anthocyanin content and consistent leaf colour.
Fresh cabbage is washed, shredded, and either pressed for juice or extracted with water or aqueous ethanol. The crude juice is clarified by centrifugation and filtration. Where stronger colour load is needed, the clarified juice is passed through adsorbent resins that retain the anthocyanin pigments while sugars, salts, and the characteristic sulphur compounds of brassica vegetables wash through.
The pigment fraction is eluted with an aqueous ethanol solution, concentrated under vacuum at low temperature, and spray-dried with a maltodextrin carrier to the target anthocyanin assay.
For liquid grades, the concentrate is standardised in dilute citric acid solution to fix the pH in the range of 2.5 to 4, which keeps the anthocyanins in their bright red flavylium cation form. The high acyl content of red cabbage anthocyanins is what allows them to retain useful colour even at the higher pH found in dairy and certain confectionery matrices.
