Butterfly Pea Blue Natural Food Colour: pH Stability, Heat Stability and Formulation Notes

Butterfly Pea (Clitoria ternatea) is the most commercially-used natural blue food colour, and arguably the most halal-friendly alternative to synthetic FD&C Blue #1 (Brilliant Blue) and the algae-derived Spirulina blue. This page covers the technical behaviour of Butterfly Pea blue for F&B formulation.

The pH-responsive colour shift

The blue colour in Butterfly Pea comes from a group of anthocyanins called ternatins. Ternatins are pH-sensitive:

This pH-responsive shift is what enables the “colour-changing cocktail” effect — adding lemon juice (low pH) shifts the colour from blue to purple to pink in real time. For brands wanting stable blue, control the pH to 6.5–8.0.

Heat stability

Ternatins are moderately heat-sensitive. Short exposure to 80–90°C (typical beverage pasteurisation) is acceptable with minor colour intensity loss. Sustained exposure above 95°C causes browning and significant intensity loss.

For beverage applications, add the Butterfly Pea extract post-pasteurisation (cold-blending into the cooled beverage) where possible.

Light stability

Anthocyanins in general are light-sensitive. For shelf-stable products, package in UV-blocking or opaque containers. PET bottles with UV-blocker have shown acceptable colour retention over 12-month shelf life in our customer trials.

Water-solubility

Butterfly Pea extract powder is highly water-soluble. Disperses cleanly in cold or warm water. Not lipid-soluble — for oil-phase applications, use an emulsified or microencapsulated variant.

Typical commercial spec

Halal positioning

Butterfly Pea is plant-derived and processed without alcohol or animal-derived processing aids at Bionutricia. We hold JAKIM HALAL supplier-level certification, making our Butterfly Pea suitable for export to GCC, Indonesia and observant Malaysian markets without further halal due-diligence.

For full product detail and spec sheets, see our Natural Food Colour page.