Caramel Colours & Powders

Caramel Colour & Caramel Powder

Caramel is one of the most widely used food colours worldwide—ideal wherever a warm brown tone and consistent shade are required. Our caramel range covers both liquid caramel colours and spray-dried caramel powders, developed for ease of use in dry and liquid applications.

Drawing on the kind of portfolio offered by leading manufacturers, we focus on stable, easy-handling grades suitable for beverages, bakery, seasonings, soup premixes, protein blends and a wide variety of dry mixes.

Liquid & spray-dried formats Shades from golden to dark brown Stable to heat, light & acidity* Designed for multiple applications

*Actual stability depends on class, shade, recipe matrix, pH and process; we help you select the right grade.

Applications

Where Caramel Works Best

Caramel is often the go-to choice wherever a natural-looking brown or golden tone is needed, from subtle golden shades through to deep cola brown.

  • Beverages — carbonated drinks, ready-to-drink teas, malt beverages, coffee mixes.
  • Bakery & cake premixes — cakes, biscuits, cookies, breads and dessert mixes.
  • Soups & savory premixes — instant soups, gravies, noodles and dry meal kits.
  • Sauces & seasonings — sauces, rubs, snack seasonings and marinade bases.
  • Dry blends & protein mixes — nutritional blends, protein shakes and functional powders.

We can help match target colour intensity, hue and process stability to your exact recipe and manufacturing setup.

Formats

Caramel Powder & Liquid Caramel Colour

Our caramel systems are designed to mirror the functionality of proven portfolios in the market: easy to disperse, application-focused and optimized for process conditions such as spray drying, premix blending or direct addition.

Caramel Powder

Spray-dried powdered caramel colours for dry blends and premixes. Ideal for cake and dessert mixes, noodle taste makers, instant soups, seasonings, protein premixes and other dry applications where clean handling and dust-controlled dosing are important.

Liquid Caramel Colour

Liquid caramel colours for beverages, sauces, syrups and dairy systems. Developed for quick dispersion, predictable colour build-up and reliable performance in high-shear and high-temperature processes.

Versatile across food & beverage Easy to standardize and dose Compatible with premixes & dry blends
International Classes

Four Types of Caramel Colour
(E150a–E150d)

Caramel colours are grouped globally into four technical classes. Each class has a different production process and is suited to particular product types and conditions.

Class I • E150a
Plain Caramel Colour
Produced without sulphites or ammonium compounds. Used in spirits, bakery products, pet foods and applications where a straightforward caramel note and clean label are preferred.
Class II • E150b
Caustic Sulphite Caramel
Crafted using sulphite compounds for specific colour and stability. Often selected for alcoholic beverages and snack applications where a warm red-brown tone is desired.
Class III • E150c
Ammonia Process Caramel
Ammonia-processed caramel with a characteristic red-brown shade. Widely used in bakery, beer, savoury sauces and confectionery for robust colour development.
Class IV • E150d
Ammonia Sulphite Caramel
Offers very dark tones and excellent acid stability. The typical choice for colas, dark soft drinks and other acidic beverages needing deep, stable colour.

Within these four classes we can help you choose the right grade and format (liquid or powder) to align with your regulations, recipe and process.

Shade & Performance

Shade Range & Functional Design

Modern caramel portfolios span a wide colour spectrum—from light golden tones through yellow-brown and reddish hues all the way to the darkest black. Each grade is tuned for target colour intensity, hue and application.

  • Customisable intensity for light, medium and strong colour build-up.
  • Designed for stability under heat treatment, storage and typical distribution conditions.
  • Compatible with spray drying and dry-blend processing for caramel powders.
  • Consistent batch-to-batch performance for predictable colour in finished products.
Project Support

Pack Sizes & Development Support

Whether you are at bench-top trials or full-scale production, we can align pack sizes and shade selections with your requirements.

Packing Options

Food-grade packs geared to industrial use, with options for smaller development packs on request. Outer packaging is designed to protect against moisture and light.

Application Support

Support for recipe matching, shade benchmarking and process optimisation—from selecting the right class (E150a–E150d) to choosing liquid or powder formats.

Technical

Technical & Handling Overview

Our approach mirrors best-practice caramel manufacturing: robust formulations, careful control of carbohydrate caramelisation and tight quality checks across every batch.

  • Typical forms — spray-dried powders for dry mixes, and liquid grades for direct liquid dosing or syrup preparation.
  • Solubility systems — water-soluble and dispersible formats tailored to beverages, bakery, savoury and dairy.
  • Usage guidance — pre-dispersion in water or syrup, adjustment for pH and process step; pilot-scale trials recommended.
  • Storage — cool, dry conditions away from direct light and strong odours; follow variant-specific shelf-life guidance.

Need a specific caramel shade or class?

Share your base (pH, process steps, target colour and pack size) and we’ll recommend a suitable Caramel Powder or Caramel Colour grade across the four international classes.

Get in Touch with SS Agrotech