I recently made fruit leather from apricots. While I'm happy with the taste and texture, I was disappointed to see how much it darkened while simmering it, and then how much it further darkened while drying it. It ended up going from a light orange to a dark brown tinted orange. Should I simply add some food coloring right before spreading it out to dry, or is there something else I can do to preserve the color?

My process

• Cut apricots, remove stems, pits, and hard bits, until you have 900g worth of apricot pieces
• Add apricot to 6 quart pot with 1/2 cup water
• Heat, while constantly stirring and crushing apricots
• Once apricots are softened, blend with an immersion blender until apricots become a puree
• Keep reducing puree until thickened
• Add sugar and citric acid to taste
• Pour onto a 10x15 cookie sheet lined with a silicon mat
• Put into an oven pre-heated to 170F (My lowest available setting)
• Rotate cookie sheet every few hours
• After 12-14 hours, once puree is dried and solidified, remove from oven, peel from tray, and wrap up