Stability of pigments from Termitomyces sp. (termite mushroom), Pleurotus citrinopileatus (yellow oyster mushroom) and Pleurotus djamor (pink oyster mushroom) as natural food colouring

Abstract

Food colouring has been used in food items for a long time to enhance the natural colour of food, maintain colour consistency and enhance product attractiveness. The most popular food colouring is synthetic since it is more stable and less expensive. However, there is growing concern about how artificial food colouring affects human health. As a result, research into using natural food colouring as an alternative to synthetic colouring has grown. Due to the complexity of food products, natural food colouring is unstable and prone to degradation. Therefore, the goal of this study was to use the CIELAB colorimeter to ascertain the colour stability of the pigments found in Termitomyces sp. (termite mushroom), Pleurotus citrinopileatus (yellow oyster mushroom) and Pleurotus djamor (pink oyster mushroom). At three pH levels (3.0, 7.0 and 15.0), the stability of pigments derived from these mushrooms was assessed; the pigments were most stable at pH 7.0. Additionally, the pigments were heated from 40 to 100°C. The outcomes demonstrated that P. citrinopileatus's yellow pigment was unstable at 40°C, 60°C 80°C and 100°C. When heated between 40°C and 80°C, the pigments derived from P. djamor and Termitomyces sp. remained stable. Ascorbic acid, citric acid, and sodium metabisulphite treatments had no discernible effects on the stability or colour of the pink pigment (a* values) as compared to the control.