News from CRIS: Precision Fermentation - Food Dye

April 21, 2026

Food dyes and colorants are found in many of our favorite foods and beverages, and there’s growing interest in shifting from artificial to natural options. Precision fermentation offers a new way to produce these same color molecules using microorganisms. In this blog, we explore how it works and what it means for food dyes.

Top Takeaways

• Precision fermentation uses microorganisms, like yeast or bacteria, to produce specific compounds, including food colorants.
• Instead of extracting dyes from plants or synthesizing them chemically, microbes are genetically modified to make the same molecules through controlled fermentation.
• These colorants are chemically identical to their natural counterparts and are evaluated for safety using the same risk assessment frameworks as other food ingredients.
• This approach can improve consistency, sustainability, and supply stability compared to traditional dye production methods.

What is precision fermentation?

Precision fermentation is a process that uses microorganisms, such as yeast, fungi, or bacteria, to produce specific compounds.

Scientists provide these microbes with genetic instructions that direct them to make a target ingredient. This is done using genetic engineering, where specific DNA sequences are introduced or modified so the organism can biosynthesize a desired molecule.

Fermentation has been used for thousands of years to make foods like bread, beer, and yogurt. Precision fermentation builds on that foundation but allows for much greater control over what is produced.

 Learn more about precision fermentation

How does precision fermentation apply to food dyes?

Food dyes are molecules that absorb and reflect light, giving foods their color. Traditionally, these come from two main sources:

• Natural dyes (e.g., beet juice, turmeric, spirulina)
• Synthetic dyes made through chemical processes

Precision fermentation offers a third path.

Instead of extracting pigments from plants or synthesizing them chemically, scientists can engineer microorganisms to produce the same pigment molecules.

For example, microorganisms can be used to produce:

• Anthocyanins (reds, purples, blues found in berries)
• Carotenoids (yellows and oranges found in carrots)
• Betalains (reds and yellows found in beets)

 Learn more about food dyes

What does the precision fermentation process look like?

At a high level, the process works like this:

1. Identify the target pigment: Scientists determine the exact molecule responsible for a color.
2. Design the genetic pathway: The genes responsible for producing that molecule are identified and introduced into a microbial host.
3. Fermentation: Typically, microorganisms are grown in controlled tanks, similar to brewing, where they convert nutrients such as sugar into the target pigment.
4. Harvest and purification: The pigment is extracted and purified for use in food products.

The result is a highly consistent ingredient that can be produced at scale.

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To continue reading the entire blog post, visit: https://cris.msu.edu/news/precision-fermentation/precision-fermentation-food-dye/.