Sparkly Edible Glitter

Decorating By sweetheart1978 Updated 26 Feb 2015 , 3:57am by maybenot

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sweetheart1978 Posted 2 Dec 2013 , 12:52pm
post #1 of 15

Hi there. I have been looking high and low for sparkly edible glitter to sprinkle over my fresh cream and buttercreamed cakes.

I purchased some glitter but it resembled sand more then anything and didnt even sparkle :(.

The glitter i'm looking for is very fine and extremly sparkly, looks beautiful when sprinkled on cakes.

If anyone knows of a particular brand and where i can purchase it then i'd love to hear from you.

I live in the UK if that helps. :D

 

Thank you xxxxxx

14 replies
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lindseyjhills Posted 2 Dec 2013 , 1:41pm
post #2 of 15

I'm afraid you won't find what you want in the UK. The only thing you will find with lots of sparkle is 'non-toxic' glitter. According to FSA guidlelines non-toxic glitter is not approved for consumption in the UK. Cake makers who sprinkle non-toxic glitter over their goods (like a well known cupcake franchise I won't name) are going against FSA guidelines.
 

There are non-toxic glitters available that are approved for 'food contact', but according to the FSA this can only be put on items that must be removed before consumption.
 

The guidelines on non-toxic glitters (e.g. Disco Dust) may be different in the US.

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-K8memphis Posted 2 Dec 2013 , 4:50pm
post #3 of 15

can you guys get gum arabic over there? you can color it and i guess you mix it with water and paint it on the bottom of an upturned stainless steel bowl--let it dry and scrape it off--it's flakey--and sprinkle away--it's pretty sparkly and approved for consumption here----gum arabic is used in lots of foods here--

 

i'm sure there's recipes online if not on here if you can get the gum arabic--it's just a white powder--it's fun to use--

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-K8memphis Posted 2 Dec 2013 , 4:52pm
post #4 of 15
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lindseyjhills Posted 2 Dec 2013 , 5:58pm
post #5 of 15

Yes there is a recipe for brillianteen (edible glitter) on Lindy Smith's website.

I have made it before, but if you need a lot of it in a commerical capacity (which I would) it's just not cost effective (time-wise) to make it yourself.

Here's the recipe I used though: http://www.lindyscakes.co.uk/2011/08/08/making-edible-metallic-glitter-a-recipe/

 

Just a heads up, Squires is really expensive for generic items (it's great for their own brand items you can't get elsewhere though). Gum Arabic is a lot cheaper on sites like Cake Stuff :)

 

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JWinslow Posted 2 Dec 2013 , 6:35pm
post #6 of 15

Quote:

Originally Posted by lindseyjhills 
 

Yes there is a recipe for brillianteen (edible glitter) on Lindy Smith's website.

I have made it before, but if you need a lot of it in a commerical capacity (which I would) it's just not cost effective (time-wise) to make it yourself.

Here's the recipe I used though: http://www.lindyscakes.co.uk/2011/08/08/making-edible-metallic-glitter-a-recipe/

 

Just a heads up, Squires is really expensive for generic itemhanks (it's great for their own brand items you can't get elsewhere though). Gum Arabic is a lot cheaper on sites like Cake Stuff :)

 


Excellent!  Thank you :)

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Dayti Posted 2 Dec 2013 , 7:31pm
post #7 of 15

As far as I am aware, the only edible glitter available is made by Twinkle Decor http://www.twinkle-bd.com/ 

I can get it in Spain, you should be able to get it in the UK (I know Carina's Cupcakes has it but there will be more sellers for sure). 

I have their gold and silver glitter - the gold is more sparkly than the silver, but it's just a case of trying them out I think to see if you like them. Certainly better than using the non-toxic glitters, although those ones are sparklier by far. 

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lindseyjhills Posted 2 Dec 2013 , 7:46pm
post #8 of 15

Yes, you can get Twinkle over here, and Doric which is similar. I've tried both and they're OK on cupcakes, but I agree not as sparkly as non-toxic glitter.

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lindseyjhills Posted 2 Dec 2013 , 8:03pm
post #9 of 15

It's been bugging me that aparently no UK companies are bulk producing a brillianteen-style glitter (surely it's a no-brainer - they'd make a fortune) so I thought I'd have a little Google and lo and behold, look what Rainbow Dust have just announced - an edible glitter made with gum arabic. I'm going to order a pot and see what it's like. https://www.facebook.com/RainbowDustColours

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Dayti Posted 2 Dec 2013 , 8:31pm
post #10 of 15

That's good to know, thanks!

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lindseyjhills Posted 2 Dec 2013 , 8:34pm
post #11 of 15

I've just ordered some. I'll report back when I've tried it. I really hope it's good!

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lindseyjhills Posted 5 Dec 2013 , 12:43pm
post #12 of 15

Hi there, I thought I'd report back on this. The Rainbow Dust Edilbe glitters arrived yesterday. I ordered a dark colour (red) and a light colour (pale pink) to see if that affected how glittery they are. I thought I'd do a comparison of inedible (non-toxic/disco dust) glitter, edlible Doric glitter (that I already had) and the new Rainbow dusts.

As you can see from the photo I couldn't do a direct comparison with the Doric because they don't do a red (they don't really do any deep, dark colours).

 

Obviously hands-down non-toxic is the sparkliest (we already knew that). The Doric is OK for the pale colours and does look slightly sparkly when you first put it on due to the shellac. The Doric is a mix of two different types of particle, the coloured ground rice and then the tiny flakes of shellac. The problem with the Doric is that the rice part quickly gets absorbed into the buttercream and it deadens the initial 'sparkle'. This happens even with buttercream left to set or crust.

The Rainbow Dust I would describle as shiny rather than sparkly - it does shine when it catches the light. It is made with gum arabic (like homemade glitter), but the base colour they have mixed it with (at least in the red and pink) is not a metallic-type colour.
Also the particles are larger and less uniform than the disco dust so I think this has a big effect. i.e. the smaller the particle the more light will be reflected as there is more surface area.
 

I'm afraid I haven't had time to make homemade as I'm slammed with orders leading up to Christmas (aren't we all!), but if I get chance I'll make some and compare again.
 

In conclusion, I would say the closest to disco dust is the Rainbow Dust Edible, but it really isn't as sparkly as 'real' glitter.
 

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-K8memphis Posted 5 Dec 2013 , 6:08pm
post #13 of 15

thank you for that report, lindsey, very cool of you

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sandilee123 Posted 25 Feb 2015 , 1:16pm
post #14 of 15

i made edible glitter by mixing granulated sugar with liquid americolour and then putting on a baking tray and baking at around 170 c for 7 minutes, it makes it nice and sparkly. I put it on shoes as a sparkle. 

 

just thought I would share :)

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maybenot Posted 26 Feb 2015 , 3:57am
post #15 of 15

Nice to see an old thread revived because I have some new information on the subject.

 

Just yesterday I received a response to a question that I had asked the FDA about using disco dust [which I have verified is made from plastic/PET, mylar, or copolymer].  Here is the part of the email that relates to that question.

 

"The answer to your primary question, “Is plastic, copolymer, mylar, or PET [polyethylene terephthalate] EVER an acceptable additive to food that will be eaten?”, is “NO”; these substances are not approved for consumption as direct food additives, and their use when directly added to foods is not considered to be GRAS.  Food manufacturers who use inedible glitter on food products are in violation of the FD&C Act and may be subject to enforcement action. 

 

[unerline and bold added by me; GRAS is an acronym for Generally Regarded As Safe]

 

So, the speculation is ended in the US.  It was ended in the UK 3 years ago when the Food Standards Agency published this:

 

http://tna.europarchive.org/20140306205048/http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/faq/edibleglitter/

 

Disco dust is NOT "edible glitter".  If someone tells you that it is edible, they're wrong.  If someone tells you that because it's non toxic and OK to eat, they're wrong.  It's not an option to put plastic craft glitter on food that will be eaten. Period.  To do so is to adulterate food.

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