If you work with fruit powders, you have likely seen this happen. A batch looks vibrant and clean right after production, but a few weeks later, the colour starts dulling. Reds lose their brightness, purples turn brownish, and yellows look washed out. For brands selling clean-label products, this change raises uncomfortable questions about quality, freshness, and shelf life.

In spray-dried fruit powders, colour is not just a visual appeal. It signals freshness, nutritional integrity, and consistency. When colour fades, customers often assume something has gone wrong, even if the powder is still safe and functional. Understanding why this happens is the first step toward preventing it.

Natural pigments behave very differently from synthetic colours. They are sensitive, reactive, and highly dependent on how they are processed and stored. Let us break down the real reasons behind colour fading and what you can realistically control.

Heat Stress During Spray Drying

Spray drying is fast and efficient, but it is also harsh on natural pigments. Inlet air temperatures often exceed 100°C, sometimes going much higher depending on the formulation and throughput. Even though the exposure time is short, that heat is enough to damage delicate pigment structures.

Anthocyanins, found in berries and grapes, are among the most heat-sensitive pigments. High temperatures cause their molecular rings to open, forming compounds that appear colourless or yellow. This is why red or purple powders are often the first to show fading.

Carotenoids, common in mango and apricot, are slightly more heat-stable but still vulnerable. Heat can cause isomerisation, changing their molecular structure and dulling their bright orange or yellow tones.

There is also the added effect of non-enzymatic browning. When natural sugars are exposed to heat, Maillard reactions and caramelisation can occur. These reactions do not just darken the powder. They actively mask natural colour, making it appear muddy or brown over time.

This is why outlet temperature control matters just as much as inlet temperature. Small adjustments can significantly reduce pigment damage without compromising drying efficiency.

Oxygen, Light, and Moisture During Storage

Even if processing is optimised, storage conditions can undo that effort quickly.

Oxygen is one of the biggest enemies of natural colour. Pigments like anthocyanins and carotenoids oxidise when exposed to air, leading to gradual fading. Powders with high surface area are especially vulnerable because more pigment is exposed to oxygen.

Light accelerates this degradation. Exposure to UV or strong artificial light breaks down pigment molecules faster, particularly in transparent or poorly protected packaging.

Temperature also plays a role. Studies have shown that storing fruit powders at 30°C to 35°C significantly accelerates colour loss compared to storage at or below 25°C. In hot climates, this becomes a major challenge if warehousing and transport are not temperature-controlled.

Moisture adds another layer of complexity. Spray-dried fruit powders are often hygroscopic, meaning they absorb moisture from the air. Increased water activity speeds up chemical reactions, causes caking, and destabilises pigments. Over time, this combination leads to visible colour fading and reduced flowability.

If your packaging allows moisture ingress, even slightly, colour loss is almost guaranteed.

Structural Factors Inside the Powder

Not all colour loss comes from external exposure. The internal structure of the powder itself matters.

High spray drying temperatures can create porous particles with a large surface-to-volume ratio. While this improves solubility, it also exposes more pigment to oxygen. Smaller particles fade faster than denser, well encapsulated ones.

Encapsulation quality is another critical factor. Carrier agents such as maltodextrin or gum arabic are meant to protect sensitive compounds. If the carrier concentration is too low or not well matched to the fruit matrix, pigments remain partially exposed. This leads to rapid oxidation even under good storage conditions.

pH stability also affects colour. Anthocyanins change colour depending on pH. Small shifts during storage can push them into less stable forms that appear pale or greyish. This is especially relevant for berry-based powders.

Different Pigments Fade for Different Reasons

Not all fruit powders behave the same way because pigments respond differently to stress.

Anthocyanins, found in berries and grapes, are highly sensitive to heat, oxygen, and pH changes. They fade quickly if any one of these factors is poorly controlled.

Betalains, common in beetroot, are extremely heat sensitive. Thermal degradation is the primary cause of colour loss here.

Carotenoids, present in mango and apricot, are more resistant to heat but highly prone to oxidation and light-induced degradation.

Understanding which pigment dominates your formulation helps you prioritise the right controls.

How Colour Stability Can Be Improved in Practice

Colour loss is not inevitable. It can be managed with the right decisions at each stage.

Lowering outlet temperatures during spray drying helps preserve pigment structure. Optimising feed solids and airflow often allows this without sacrificing yield.

Using adequate levels of carrier agents improves encapsulation and reduces oxygen exposure. The goal is not just drying efficiency but pigment protection.

Packaging makes a major difference. Airtight, light-proof materials such as aluminium laminate pouches significantly slow down oxidation and light damage.

Storage below 25°C, with controlled humidity, extends colour stability dramatically. Even a few degrees can make a measurable difference in shelf life.

If you are evaluating or sourcing spray-dried fruit powders, these factors should be part of the conversation, not an afterthought.

Why Supplier Process Knowledge Matters

Colour stability is not just a formulation issue. It reflects how well the ingredient supplier understands processing, encapsulation, and storage realities.

At Balaji Life Sciences, spray-dried fruit powders are developed with attention to pigment sensitivity, carrier selection, and post-processing handling. The focus is not only on achieving the right colour on day one, but on maintaining that colour through storage, transport, and application.

If you are facing recurring colour fade issues, it may be time to reassess more than just packaging.

Talk to the Balaji Life Sciences team to understand how processing parameters and ingredient design can improve colour consistency in your applications.

Making Colour Stability a Design Choice

Natural colour will always be more sensitive than synthetic alternatives. But that does not mean instability has to be accepted.

When processing, storage, and encapsulation are aligned, spray-dried fruit powders can retain their natural vibrancy far longer than expected. The key is treating colour as a quality attribute that needs active protection, not passive hope.

If you are developing clean-label products where appearance matters, now is the time to design for colour stability, not troubleshoot it later.

Connect with Balaji Life Sciences to explore spray-dried fruit powder solutions built for both performance and visual consistency.