Margarines are edible vegetable oil products which are produced from one or more vegetable oils such as, for example, sunflower oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil and coconut oil, or partially hydrogenated or hardened versions thereof. Regular margarines contain at least 80% fat, about 16% water and about 4% skin or non-fat dry milk. Diet margarines have a lower fat content and a higher water content. Margarines also typically contain salt, emulsifying agents, preservatives and certain vitamins and minerals.

The major use of margarines are as substitutes for butter. Although original margarines were white in colour, consumer demand has necessitated colouring the margarines in order that they resemble butter in appearance.

Natural or synthetic (nature identical) beta carotene is a pigment which is traditionally used for colouring margarines. However, beta carotene is a relatively expensive pigment to produce and for the most part is produced in a laboratory and imported into various countries.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention there is provided a combination of oleoresin paprika and beta carotene and/or oleoresin turmeric for use as a food colourant for an edible vegetable oil or vegetable oil product.

A combination of oleoresin paprika and oleoresin turmeric is particularly preferred.

The oleoresin paprika is typically extracted from capsicum annuum L., while the beta carotene may be natural or synthetic beta carotene, and the oleoresin turmeric is typically extracted from curcuma longa.

Examples of edible vegetable oils include sunflower oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil and coconut oil.

Examples of edible vegetable oil products include hardened or hydrogenated fats such as butter, margarine, ghee, medium fat spreads, low fat spreads and other similar spreads, in particular margarine and medium or low fat spreads.

The invention extends to a food colourant formulation for an edible vegetable oil or edible vegetable oil product, the formulation comprising a combination of oleoresin paprika and beta carotene and/or oleoresin turmeric.

A preferred, food colourant formulation comprises about 10% to about 28% w/w oleoresin paprika (at colour value 140 000 scu) and about 90% to about 72% w/w oleoresin turmeric (at 16% concentration).

A particularly preferred food colourant formulation comprises about 16% w/w oleoresin paprika (at 140 000 scu) and about 84% w/w oleoresin turmeric (at 16% concentration).

The invention also extends to an edible vegetable oil or edible vegetable oil product comprising a combination of oleoresin paprika and beta carotene and/or oleoresin turmeric as colourants.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention relates to a combination of pigments for use as a food colourant for edible vegetable oils and edible vegetable oil products such as butter, margarine, ghee, medium fat spreads, low fat spreads, and other similar spreads.

On its own, oleoresin paprika (ORP) is not a suitable pigment for use in margarines and the like as the final product ends up a pink colour. This is clearly not acceptable in the case of margarine and other edible vegetable oil products which are traditionally a yellow colour. It has now been found that if oleoresin paprika is used in combination with beta carotene and/or oleoresin turmeric, a vegetable oil or margarine or similar edible vegetable oil product or hard fat product having a desirable yellow colour is produced.

Accordingly, the invention provides a combination of oleoresin paprika and natural or synthetic (nature identical) beta carotene and/or oleoresin turmeric for colouring edible vegetable oil products. The paprika is grown in Southern Africa and the oleoresin extracted from it is a mixture of natural carotenoids such as Capsanthin Capsorubin which are reds, beta carotene which is orange, and 5 or 6 Xanthophylls which are yellow.

Oleoresin turmeric (ORT) is a yellow pigment extracted from curcuma longa, a native of Southern Asia and grown widely in India and other tropical Asian and East Indian lands.

Beta carotene in its natural state is very unstable when exposed to light and heat and has to be packed in containers under a nitrogen blanket.

ORP is much more stable in its natural state than beta carotene and does not need such intensive storage conditions. Accordingly, it is believed that it should also import some of this stability to the finished product.

Tocopherol, which is also present in ORP, is a natural form of vitamin E, an antioxidant which is a desirable component in fat products as it helps to prevent rancidity. The stability and Tocopherol content of the ORP can be raised or lowered by leaving or removing more seed in the mix during the extraction process.

These pigments may either be added to the edible vegetable oil or edible vegetable oil product in appropriate separate amounts during the production of the edible vegetable oil or edible vegetable oil product, or alternatively may be provided as a mixture or blend for addition at an appropriate time in the edible vegetable oil or vegetable oil product production process.

In early trials, a 50/50 beta carotene/ORP (20, OOOSCU) blend provided the margarine with a colour close to the desired result. Altering the blend to 60/40 beta carotene/ORP is believed to provide the desired results.

A particularly preferred food colourant formulation or blend for edible vegetable oils or edible vegetable oil products comprises about 10% to about 28% oleoresin paprika (at colour value 140 000 scu) and about 90% to about 72% oleoresin turmeric (at 16% concentration), these percentages being w/w.

The invention also provides a food colourant formulation or blend for an edible vegetable oil or edible vegetable oil product such as butter, margarine, fat spread and the like comprising a combination of oleoresin paprika and beta carotene and/or oleoresin turmeric.

The invention also covers an edible vegetable oil or edible vegetable oil product, in particular margarine and medium or low fat spreads, comprising a combination of oleoresin paprika and beta carotene and/or oleoresin turmeric as colourants.

The invention will now be illustrated by the following non-limiting examples.

Example 1 A food colourant oil blend consisting of: 16% w/w ORP (at colour value 140 000 scu); and 84% w/w ORT (at concentration 16%).

The above blend has an absorbency ratio (AR) of 0.407 as measured at 470/455 nm and a final colour value of about 63 000 to 68 000 scu.

The above food colourant oil blend is added to margarine, for example, at a dosage of about 0.002% to 0.01 % w/w, in particular about 0.006% w/w.

Example 2 A food colourant oil blend consisting of: 24% w/w ORP (at 140 000 scu); and 76% w/w ORT (at 16% concentration).

AR: 0.532 Colour value: 55 000 scu.

Example 3 26% w/w ORP (at 140 000 scu); and 74% w/w ORT (at 16% concentration).

AR: 0.570 Colour value: 58 346 scu.

Example 4 15% w/w ORP (at 140 000 scu); and 85% w/w ORT (at 16% concentration).

AR: 0.400 Colour value: 60 000 scu.

In the above examples ORP having a colour value of 140 000 scu and ORT at 16% concentration were used and found to be most suitable. However, formulations using ORP and ORT with different colour values and concentrations, respectively, have also been produced. An example of such an alternative is set out below.

Example 5 30% ORP (at colour value 120 000 scu); and 70% ORT (at 11 % concentration).

AR: 0.575 Colour value: 58 100 scu.

In this example, the effect of using ORP at a lower colour value has more of an effect than using ORT at a lower concentration. As a result, a larger proportion of ORP is required to produce a blend having the desired absorbency ratio and colour value.

As the cost of extracting oleoresin paprika is significantly tess than the extraction of natural beta carotene or the production of synthetic beta carotene, the use of these two pigments in combination significantly reduces the overall costs of the colourant used in the production of the margarine or other edible vegetable oil products. ORP also gives a denser colour to the margarine which looks better on brown bread or health bread than the straight beta carotene coloured margarine. In the case of a combination of ORP and ORT, which is less costly still, even better results have been achieved.