The Investigation of the Synergistic Effect of Natural Pigments on the Antioxidant Properties in Food Industries

Dyes in one form or other, has been added to our foods for centuries. The increase in the reports of health hazards and toxicity of synthetic colorants are driving the food industry towards applying natural colorants to an increasing number of processed food products. In this study, the effects of some edible pigments, used in food industry, on the antioxidant properties were investigated. For this purpose, we selected five natural colors including curcumin, β-carotene, paprika, lycopene and turmeric oleoresin. Then, we investigated the effects of each natural food color, individually and in mixture groups, on antioxidant activity by in vitro antioxidant assay, (ABTS) radical scavenging activity. As a result, investigation of the synergistic effects of natural colors on the antioxidant properties showed that the best synergistic effect was related to the mixture of turmeric-lycopene and it has more synergistic effect on antioxidant properties among the others mixtures. In conclusion, the addition of these natural colors to foods not only enhances the nutritional value of the food and increases its acceptability but also can supplement foods with good antimicrobial properties.