As Diwali approaches, it brings the warmth of festive lights and the joy of togetherness. As a family, it brings out the aroma of the sweets and snacks, the true reflection of the rich Indian culinary world. Just as we are about to enjoy these sweet bites, we cannot forget the role of natural food colours from India and modified starches. These ingredients make sure our Diwali favourites, including delicious moti choor laddoo, pista barfi and gulab jamun, not only look good but also are healthier for us.
The festive season has already begun with much intensity, as home lights twinkle in the quiet night, sweet aroma comes wafting from fresh sweets filling our atmosphere, and happy sounds of family gatherings fill the air. Diwali is not just a festival of lights but a celebration of rich traditions, familial ties, and delectable foods that connect us all to our roots.
Have you ever wondered why Diwali sweets and snacks are so colourful? From the bright yellow of the mouth-watering motichur laddoo to the green of pista barfi, every colour we connect with is from nature itself, just like the traditions we hold closest to our hearts.
The bright colours of sweets of Diwali certainly have their origin in synthetic food colourants, from the sunny yellow of motichoor laddoo to the earthy green of pista barfi. Perhaps these artificial colours may make the sweets look more colourful, but they create issues among consumers as far as health is concerned. Natural food colours have thus become inevitable because these ingredients not only add to a visual appeal but are also seen to be in sync with an ever-growing trend of safety in food ingredients.
Modified starch is one of the key ingredients incorporated into the formulation of these tasty snacks and possesses attractive properties through which both texture and functionality are improved.
Natural colours extracted from plant sources are gaining mass popularity because they not only impart colour to the final product but also add health benefits and aesthetic qualities to them.
These are useful in numerous Diwali sweets, some examples are as follows:
Motichoor Laddoo: Curcumin is used to obtain the golden yellow colour which not only serves aesthetic purposes but also health reasons.
Pista Barfi: The natural green obtained from a natural green source adds a very bright colour to the product without the addition of artificial additives.
Peda: Caramel colours of natural origins can be added to enhance the rich brown colour and give it an intense hue.
Such a transition from synthetic to natural ingredients mirrors the broader movement of consumers toward healthier options.
Texture is an important element in making Diwali snacks more appealing. Modified starch enhances the crispness of fried snacks. It further ensures product integrity and provides a longer shelf life, an essential characteristic that manufacturers look for when selling widely distributed products.
Other snacking applications of starches include:
Coated Nuts: Modified starch in coated nuts gives uniform coatings, adhesion, texture, and crunchiness, facilitates flavour release, and ensures stability, besides enabling product tailoring.
Modified starch is applied in the production of extruded products requiring light, crispy texture to satisfy consumers’ preferences. The film-forming property allows the application to get evenly applied to the product with minimal ingredient variations in viscosity. This ultimately results in a delicious bite of masala peanuts as the previous one, and functionality is, therefore, important in producing extruded snacks since texture forms the basis of satisfaction for a consumer. Modified starch can also be used as an effective thickener for dips and sauces. It can be a healthier alternative since it does not add fat or affect the flavour and texture.
Accepting Sustainability: Call for Action
With more consumers embracing natural food colours and modified starches, manufacturers need to realize the capabilities of these ingredients to fulfil consumer needs.
The call for sustainability and health rings louder this Diwali. It is time for the makers to take charge in redefining traditional sweets and snacks by using these high-quality safe ingredients.
We at Vinayak Ingredients are leading this movement with a range of natural colours and modified starches that help food manufacturers manufacture superior products. We are capable of creating solutions for the ever-evolving market, which helps sweets and snacks pay homage to tradition while embracing innovation.
Conclusion: A Healthier Tradition
As we celebrate a shift towards natural colours and modified starches into our food cultural heritage, we promise to use quality ingredients so the sweets and snacks shared with family and friends are not only delicious but healthy too. Choose wisely, celebrate richly, and let the vibrant colours of nature shine your Diwali.
Vinayak Ingredients (INDIA) Pvt. Ltd. has over 24+ years of experience in delivering high-quality Food Additives. We focus and manufacture products obtained from Natural sources such as Natural Colors, Spray-dried Fruit and Vegetable Powders & Natural Extracts which are eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable.
