Share it A pigment found in red cabbage could be used to make a long-lasting and stable natural blue color for food, according to new research published in the Science Advances journal. The study was done by researchers from Mars Wrigley's science and technology team; the Mars Advanced Research Institute (MARI); University of California, Davis' Innovation Institute for Food and Health; Ohio State University; Nagoya University in Japan; University of Avignon in France; and SISSA University in Italy. It was funded by MARI and Mars Wrigley Science and Technology. While many food companies have been moving toward natural colors, finding a natural replacement for blue has been particularly challenging. But food and ingredients manufacturers have been trying. According to an emailed statement from Mars Wrigley Senior Principal Scientist Rebecca Robbins, the team that published the report has been doing this research for more than a decade.