Sudan Red in Paprika Oleoresins . . .

There are an increased number of reports of Paprika Oleoresins showing illegal azo dye contamination, especially the Sudan reds, albeit at very low levels (< 50 ppb), or subject to suspicion as being possible false positive results.

Compounding this situation is the long held difficulty to find consistency in agreement of results from the different and well respected European independent laboratories, due to factors such as sampling error and oleoresin matrix interference. This is making it increasingly challenging, despite adequate stocks of raw materials, to provide end users with peace of mind and continuity of supply.


Hawkins Watts Ltd promotes the range of oleoresins from Lionel Hitchen Essential Oils (UK). Their paprikas (and all blends containing paprika), come with a Certificate of Analysis and test statement from an independent UK laboratory, listing 19 synthetic dyes, including rhodamine, toluidine and all the Sudan reds, which have been tested and not detected. You can use these materials with full confidence of their purity!

For more information, please contact Stuart Jones at stuart@hawkinswatts.com

Maternity Leave . . .

Natasha Sabatier is expecting her first child and will be going on maternity leave from 1 September 2010.

Natasha has been with Hawkins Watts Limited for 6 years, predominantly in our Sales Team, looking after the Symrise Flavour portfolio, and more recently has taken up the role of Marketing Manager.

We wish Natasha and husband, Claude, much luck as they embark on parenthood.

Tightened Supply and High Prices for Carmine . . .



Carmine is made from Carminic acid, produced from the ground bodies of cochineal insects, primarily grown on South American cactus. It is a popular ingredient for food and beverage applications both for its distinct pink, red or purple colour and for its stability in acid and heat.

Carmine prices have risen by six to eight fold to date in 2010.

Tightened supplies can be put down to a combination of factors, such as:
climate conditions which hampered harvesting;
limited cochineal production, after low prices several years ago prompted farmers to switch to more profitable products such as asparagus, bell peppers and avocado; and
demand from the food industry in Europe increased as a result of the overall trend towards natural ingredients (article here).

Given the current extortionately high price of Carmine and the low likelihood that pricing will drop in the short to medium term, natural colour suppliers are looking to replace Carmine with other natural colours. These include colours based on purple sweet potato, paprika, red beet and black carrot.

However, one of the challenges in replacing carmine and cochineal extracts, is that while a similar hue may be obtained, it is difficult to match the stability properties.

FMC BioPolymer Price Increase . . .

In May 2010, FMC BioPolymer announced price increases of 10% for MCC (announcement here).

Hawkins Watts Limited will implement these when current stocks have been exhausted.