Food additives colorants

COLORANTS FORFOOD,DRUGS,COSTffiTICS AND TffiDICALDEVICES] (Vol 6) -as food additive [FOOD ADDITIVES] (Vol 11)... 

Quality Specifications. Because of the extreme sensitivity of polyamide synthesis to impurities ia the iagredients (eg, for molecular-weight control, dye receptivity), adipic acid is one of the purest materials produced on a large scale. In addition to food-additive and polyamide specifications, other special requirements arise from the variety of other appHcations. Table 8 summarizes the more important specifications. Typical impurities iaclude monobasic acids arising from the air oxidation step ia synthesis, and lower dibasic acids and nitrogenous materials from the nitric acid oxidation step. Trace metals, water, color, and oils round out the usual specification Hsts. 

Action to compile standards for food-grade chemicals did not take place until after the enactment of the Food Additives Amendment to the Food, Dmg, and Cosmetic Act in 1958 (13). This amendment stated that substances added to foods should be of food-grade quaUty, but it contained no criteria by which such quahty could be determined (see also Colorants forfood, drugs, cosmetics, and medicaldevices). The Food Protection Committee of the National Academy of Sciences—National Research Council (NAS—NRC) therefore undertook the project of producing a Food Chemicals Codex. 

FDA Quality Standards. Although standards for many dmgs and biologicals are included in the USP—NF, and for many food additives in the FCC, the FDA also estabhshes some specifications of its own. In the dmg field, specifications and testing methods for antibiotics and biologicals are set by the FDA. Also, specifications and testing methods are prescribed for colorants. Many food-additive petitions are granted with the requirement that certain specifications are met. 

Center for Eood Safety and AppHed Nutrition (CESAN). This center is responsible for the regulation and approval of food for human consumption, food additives, color additives, and cosmetics. Although CESAN does not regulate meat and poultry, it does set safety and sanitation standards for supermarkets, restaurants, and other retail food estabUshments. 

To further improve the general safety standards, the Delaney Clause was included in the Pood Additives Amendment of 1958. The Delaney Clause states that no food additive or color additive can be deemed safe if it has been found to induce cancer when ingested by humans or animals (23). The Clause acts as an absolute prohibition on the use of any additive found to cause cancer without any regard for whether, or to what extent, the substance is hazardous to human health. As scientific advances continue, both in the realm of food technology and analysis of previously undetected contaminants, the... 

No coloi additive oi product containing one can be used in the aiea of the eye, in surgical sutures, or in injections, unless so stated. Also, no colorant can be used to color foods for which standards of identity have been promulgated under Section 401 of the Federal Food, Dmg, and Cosmetic Act, unless the use of added color is authorized by the standard. Colorants without restrictions can be used for coloring foods generally, in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice. 

Table 7. Stability of FD C Colors Exposed to Common Food Additives...

J. Noonan, "Color Additives in Foods" in Handbook of Food Additives, The Chemical Rubber Co., Cleveland, Ohio, 1968, pp. 25—49. Food colors— their description, properties, regulation, and use. 

FMN. The main dietary sources of riboflavin are milk and dairy products. In addition, because of its intense yellow color, riboflavin is widely used as a food additive. 

Penicilium oxalicum var. Armeniaca CCM 8242 strain produces an anthaquinone-type pigment related to carmine and patented as Arpink Red. The pigment is produced during batch submerse cultivation, harvested, and purified. It is presently under evaluation by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) for use as a food colorant. ... 

Some inorganic compounds are used as food additives and food colorants. They include titanium dioxide, carbon black, iron oxides, ultramarin, and calcium carbonate. Some of them are important for properties other than the ability to impart color. Titanium is the most commonly used inorganic pigment in food and will be briefly discussed below. ° "°... 

Although chlorophyll and chlorophyllin colorants seem to be easily obtained, in practice their production as natural food colorants is rather difficult. The sensitivity of chlorophylls to certain enzymes, heat, and low pH, and their low tinctorial strength greatly limit their manufacture and application as food additives, principally when the pigments are isolated from the protective environment of the chloroplasts. The well-known instability of chlorophylls prompted extensive research for developing... 

Other applications — P-carotene is used in various pet foods as both a colorant and a precursor to vitamin A. It can be applied to an array of animal foods designed for dogs, cats, fish, and birds. The antioxidant and precursory vitamin A properties increase the appeal and application of P-carotene in pet foods. Additionally, P-carotene is an important carotenoid that may assist in improving the color of birds, fish, and crustaceans. Dunaliella salina can serve as a source of algal feed for fish and crustaceans. The microalgae provide carotenoids that are essential for flesh coloring, particularly of salmon and crustaceans. 

Synthetic pigments traditionally used by food processors continue to be utilized with success however, with the increasing consumer preference for natural food additives, natural colorants from plants now present big business and most of the research efforts within the scientific field of colorants are conducted on natural materials. Among microalgal production methods, marine background is a very positive aspect in the success of P-carotene produced by Dunaliella salina. 

Sodium copper chlorophyllin, approved by the FDA as a color additive in citrus-based dry beverage mixes, should have a ratio of absorbance (SoretQ band) not less than 3.4 and not more than 3.9. In Europe, purity criteria of the food additives E141[i] and E141[ii], which are copper complexes of chlorophyll and chlorophyllin, respectively, are set out in the EC color specifications that include identification and spectrophotometric assay tests. ... 

This section aims to present a brief overview of the most significant literature covering general aspects of common techniques used currently for natural food colorant analysis, and specifically current protocols applied to analyze minor natural food colorants whose chemical and technological properties are presented in Sections 2.3 and 7.2. We consider here only pure colorants or extracts that seek or have received approval for use as food additives in the United States and European Union. Legislative aspects are detailed in Sections 7.1 and 7.2. 

Detailed information about carotenoids found in food or extracted from food and evaluated for their potential as food colorants appeared in Sections 4.2 and 6.2. We would like to mention some new data about the utilization of pure carotenoid molecules or extracts as allowed food additives. Looking to the list of E-coded natural colorants (Table 7.2.1), we can identify standardized colorants E160a through f, E 161a, and E161b as natural or semi-synthetic derivatives of carotenoids provided from carrots, annatto, tomatoes, paprika, and marigold. In addition, the extracts (powders or oleoresins) of saffron, - paprika, and marigold are considered more economical variants in the United States and European Union. 

In the past 20 years, consumers have increasingly considered synthetic colorants undesirable or harmful but they are still used extensively in many food products. Official organizations in the United States and European Union have restricted the use of some synthetic colorants as additives in foods (see Table 7.3.1 in Section 7.3). The list of allowed colorants has been reduced to 21. Section 7.3 also discusses details about their structures. 

The separation of some food additives including colorants by and... 

Color additives are naturally and synthetically derived. In the past 20 years, consumers have become increasingly aware of the ingredients in their foods and they desire foods be as natural as possible. This fact combined with technological developments have fueled the increases in uses of naturally derived colors. Moreover, additives must be safe and stable in food matfices. Legislation has established which colorants may be used as food additives, taking into account toxicity of compounds and methods of assessment. The European Union currently allows the use of 13 naturally derived colors but 26 colors are exempt from certification... 

Food additives (like color additives) can be added at various processing stages, but the additions are commonly made at the latest production stage before final marketing to ensure optimal functionality of the additive in the product as sold. Residues of additives used at earlier production stages may be present still in the final formulation. However, if they do not have further functions at that stage, they are considered process aids (to help preparation but without technological effects in the finished product) and are not indicated on labels. Some additives also decompose over time so that the levels present at the end of shelf life may be quite low. Several techniques and information sources can be used to assess contamination levels of chemicals ... 

Data concerning use patterns of food additives and color additives are difficult to obtain. Although additives must be included on product labels in descending order of inclusion, major effort is required to evaluate even a simple presence on this basis, which would provide at best only limited information on the amounts used. In most cases, quantitative analytical controls are limited to efforts by control authorities to determine compliance with legal limits. Levels below these limits are of limited interest and are usually not published. ... 

Since food colorants are used as food additives, they must also comply with legislative requirements. Food legislation in the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) differs with regard to additives and labeling. Therefore, this section provides an overview of legislation in the EU (Section 7.1.6.1) and the US (Section 7.1.6.2) and discusses colorants permitted for use in food products according to the different requirements. 

Council Directive 89/107/EEC, as amended by Directive 94/34/EC ° — This framework directive provides umbrella legislation under which the individual additives directives are developed. It includes a definition of a food additive, exclusions from the scope of the definition, and a list of food additive categories, one of which is colors. Additionally, general criteria for use of food additives are described. ... 

US legislation on food additives consists of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD C Act), the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, and other applicable laws including the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act. The FD C Act states that foods are adulterated if they contain color additives that have not been approved as safe to the satisfaction of the Food Drug Administration (FDA) for a particular use. ... 

Additional regulations that provide specific requirements for color additives in foods are found in other parts of the CFR. Labeling of food products is found at 21 CFR 101.22(k). Color additives are sometimes called artificial colors or artificial colorings [21 CFR 101.22(a) (4)]. From a regulatory standpoint, a colorant is a dye or pigment used in a food contact material such as a polymer that does not migrate to food. Such materials are regulated as food additives [21 CFR 178.3297(a)], not as color additives. ... 

The permission to use food colorants is bound to their safety and is strictly regulated by specific laws controlled at national and international levels. Individual country laws differ according to specihc protocols, doses, and interpretations. Currently, the European Union (EU) has authorized 43 colorants as food additives and the United States (US) has authorized about 30. ... 

The EU laws follow three principles related to consumer health (1) protection, (2) fraud prevention, and (3) trade barriers. The union tried to harmonize the laws of different countries, particularly in recent years when the enlargement of the European Community became dynamic. Color Directive 94/36/EC contains horizontal provisions that refer to common laws in different countries and vertical directives that apply to specific foods. The EU directives take into account the recommendations of the Scientific Committee for Food (SCF), the Codex AUmen-tarius Commission, and the Joint Food and Agriculture OrganizationAVorld Health Organization (FAOAVHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). 

The EU directive includes a list of colorants (coded as E numbers, from E 100 to E 180) suitable for use as food additives and specifies limits of impurities. For details about their codes, sources, and properties see Table 7.2.1. An update of EU legislation on food-related issues was published recently. In addition to the numbered E colorants, other new natural colors for use in the future as natural colorants are under examination (see positions 25 through 34 in Table 7.2.1). ... 

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