Ice-cream companies often spruce up their wares by adding approved dyes. Vanilla ice cream needs this kind of help after pasteurisation: the heat makes amino acids react with sugars, creating caramel-like substances that turn the ice cream brown or grey.
Abbott Laboratories in Illinois claims to have a simple solution that everyone else has overlooked (WO 03/049555). Just add xanthopyll lutein, an extract of Aztec marigolds and a naturally occurring pigment. This usually adds a strong yellow colour to foods. But when heat-treated, the lutein masks the brown and grey without adding unnatural yellow, making vanilla ice cream look bright…
