Colors in food have become increasingly important. Perhaps because visual aesthetics have been invading all the spaces of our lives or perhaps because there is a trend towards promoting the health benefits of consuming dishes that have a variety of colors. The truth is that color in food is important from a commercial point of view. Products are designed with a specific color and dishes in restaurants are designed with a particular color combination. For this reason, the color of an ingredient is as important as its flavor or texture.
Artificial colors are often used in many products and especially in sauces. However, the use of additives and artificial colors is less and less accepted by the consumer. Instead, dyes of natural origin are used and preferably the dominant colors of each product are being used.
This is why we strive to offer a range of colors in our portfolio. Chili peppers have the great advantage of naturally having this variety of colors. We find green, red, purple, yellow and orange chiles. These colors may be characteristic of a particular variety such as Peruvian yellow; they can correspond to a state of ripeness like the green jalapeño and the red jalapeño; and they may be the result of a particular process like chipotle’s dark reddish-brown.
At Hugo Restrepo y Cía we have a product portfolio that incorporates four fundamental colors: red, green, yellow and orange. Our production process, controlled fermentation with salt, significantly helps to fix the color in mashes and purées for a certain time.
Especially the reds, yellows and greens are at different levels of spiciness. There are Habaneros and Jalapeños for example, which makes the offer very versatile to the needs of each client. Each color can be found at different levels of spiciness and with different hints of flavor.
For this reason, on many occasions we analyze the final product to suggest the most suitable ingredient for each case. It may be a specific variety or a mixture of varieties that allows us to meet the customer’s need.
