Edible Glitter

Who doesnt like a bit of sparkle! People love sparkle , it makes anything and everything look glamorous. Edible glitter has been there is the cake decorating world for a very long time, and only evolved over the years. With each passing year we get newer better versions of these.

Ever since the inception of Zoeys bakehouse, we had been reading a lot about food safety because at the end of the day you never want to take a chance. As a decorator you cannot do away with lustres for various reasons. but whats more important is to understand why some are edible and some are not. Hence at Zoeys bakehouse, we procure and use ONLY the finest quality of these dusts which are edible and food safe, FDA approved or FSSAI approved.

1. Petal dust
These are matte dry dusts we use for dusing fondant and gumpaste extensively used for making sugar flowers, I use a lot for all my sugar pieces. While you can make your own using cornstarch and colors, I dont, i. These have the necessary “E number” in the ingredients listed.

2. Lustre Dust
Like the name sugests it imparts shine. This again is can be edible OR non toxic, it depends on the ingredientsmany lustres contain .That being said, commonly cited ingredients in many luster dusts are Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide, Carmine, and Mica. Additionally, some contain Iron Blue or Chromium Oxide. Titanium dioxide is also a key ingredient in white food paint. While some are non toxic that would not mean they are edible, It will pass through your digestive tract without harming you, however its not a food item , Lustre dust is non water soluble . Always look for fssai certified while buying an indian company or FDA approved food grade if buying the imported ones.

3.Highlighter dust.
Highlighters are ALWAYS non toxic they are NOT edible. They impart super high shine and give excellent resuts, while however I limit using them only to toppers and maybe flowers and inform my clients about it.

4. Disco dust or Pixie dust
These are ONLY non toxic, but not edible, You will see many cake decorators and bakeries using them, but this is not edible. So its really your call to use or not, where to use, how much to use, I personally as a rule use it only as food contact safe and not on food, What I mean is, I dont use on the fondant which would be consumed or frosting, I only use it on toppers, if need be.
Rainbow dust however has claimed they have a 100% edible disco dust , which I havent used yet,

To better understand here are a few closeup of the dusts,

Petal dust ( used on our sugar flowers)

These 100% edible dusts come in various colors, and the mark of a good quality petal dust is how FINE the dust is. A grainy gritty dust is not good , and wont give the desired result

 

 

 

 

 

This is lustre dust by squires kitchen. Other good company that make these and are 100% edible are CK, sugarflair USA, Rainbow dust , Flour confections, Wilton. There are more, but these are the ones we have used so far

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highlighters are high shine and are non toxic, we seldom use them on our sugar toppers and inform the client about it.

This 24 Karat gold highlighter, is heavy on the pocket but gives stunning results.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disco dust has BIG grain, and are not water soluble. they are non toxic, and can be used on sugar decorations, which are not going to be consumed.