Blossoming with white awn fragrance, like the spring breeze and tender drizzle.

In April, gardenia flowers are in full bloom. In a few months, farmers will harvest a large number of golden and ripe gardenia fruits. The yellow color of the dyed fabrics unearthed at mawangdui of Han dynasty was obtained by dyeing with gardenia. "Han Guan Yi" recorded: "Dyed with gardenia, Qian, for dyeing imperial clothing." That is to say, gardenias were used for the most exclusive clothing. Gardenia fruit is a treasure. In agriculture, it is known as the "rich fruit" for rural revitalization.

Why is that?

Because gardenia fruit not only has medicinal value but also can be used as food ingredients! In some areas, people will wash fresh gardenia fruit and eat it directly or make it into cold dishes, stir-fries and other delicacies. The taste of gardenia fruit is slightly bitter, crisp, and it has a certain effect of clearing heat and detoxifying.

Gardenia yellow is a food additive extracted and refined from the fruit of the Rubiaceae plant gardenia. It is also a carotenoid pigment, the main components of which are crocin and crocetin. It is non-toxic, safe and has certain nutritional value and health care functions. Gardenia is a traditional Chinese medicine. The Ministry of Health issued the first batch of medicine and food dual-use resources. Crocin is a rare water-soluble carotenoids coexisting in gardenia and saffron in the natural world. It is also the main coloring substance in the fruits of gardenia.

Under normal circumstances, the powder products of gardenia yellow are orange-yellow to orange-red, the extract products are yellow-brown, and the liquid products are yellow-brown to orange-red. The product quality standard " National Food Safety Standard for Food Additive Gardenia Yellow" (GB7912-2010) stipulates the sensory and physical and chemical index standards. The specific reference is as follows:

Gardenia yellow is used for food coloring in United States, The United Kingdom, Canada, Norway Luxembourg and other countries. Its application range is quite wide. China promulgated the the “GB 7912-2010 National Food Safety Standard for Food Additive Gardenia Yellow", allowing gardenia yellow to be used in specific food industries. Common types of food industry are frozen drinks(excluding 03.04 edible ice), pastry, cooked meat products, etc. The specific use of industry categories and usage refers to the relevant provisions in the "GB2760 National Food Safety Standard for Food Additive Use". Details can be referred to the following table:

China is one of the world's largest exporter of gardenia yellow. With the progress of science and technology and the continuous efforts of scientific researchers, its development prospects are also very promising. For more information about gardenia yellow or other food industry colors, it can be customized according to demand. Welcome to click below to enter Jinghao Mall: