The set of colorants used in food products may bind to the substrate by ionic (+/- electron charge) bonding. Full chemical link bonding may be present where the colorant molecules are bonded to the substrate co-valently; that is, by means of shared electron orbitals. There are two further very important bonding modes with weaker binding force. These are the non-ionic very short rage atom to atom attraction common to all physical matter and the hydrogen bond which links water molecules and is characteristic of most carbohydrates.

The colour of the dye is due to subtractive colour mixing, because its electronic structure generates wavelength-specific light absorption bands in the visible spectrum.

Bonds to the food components which depends on the charge

Polarity of the color compound