Why did my blue hard candy turn purple the second I added citric acid?

Why did my blue hard candy turn purple the second I added citric acid? Because butterfly pea flower is not Blue 2. It is an anthocyanin. And anthocyanins are pH chameleons. Between pH 3.8 and 7, you get that beautiful natural blue. Drop citric acid or lemon juice into the mix and the pH crashes. The pigment shifts to vivid purple right in front of you. Here is the thing most R&D teams miss. That purple is not a defect. It is actually a unique shade you cannot replicate with synthetic FD&C dyes. Some formulators are leaning into it on purpose to create sour candy and confections with a color profile that stands out on shelf. The trick is process control. Add butterfly pea flower at the very end of your heating cycle. Less thermal stress means better color retention, lower usage rates, and more stability through shelf life. This is one of the formulation patterns DyeConverter™ maps automatically. Input your application, pH, and processing conditions. Get back the alternatives that actually work for your specific product. #NaturalColorants #DyeConverter #FoodScience