Production of food colorants

Ravishankar, G.A., Sarada, R., Tripathi, U., and Bhagyalakshmi, N. 2000. Production of food colors by plant cell and microalgal cultures. In Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Natural Colorants for Foods, Neutraceuticals, Beverages, Confectionery Cosmetics (J.F. Francis, ed.), pp. 221-252. SIC Publishing, Hamden. 

Ozaki, A. Kitano, M. Itoh, N. Knroda, K. Furusawa, N. Masnda, T. Yamagnchi, H. Mntagenicity and DNA-damaging activity of decomposed products of food colors under UV irradiation. Food Chem. Toxicol. 1998, 36, 811-817. 

In recent years, plant tissue culture techniques have been applied to the production of food colors. Also the pigments of two fungi Monascusanka SiMMonascus purpureas are being considered for use in foods. These fungal pigments have been used as food colors and medicines in the Far East for hundreds of years. 

This proliferation in the use of color additives was soon recognized as a threat to the pubHc s health. Of particular concern were the practices of a dding poisonous colorants to food, and of using dyes to hide poor quaUty or to add weight or bulk to certain items. References 5—14 provide additional information on the history of food colorants and thek regulation. Reference 15 provides more information regarding the appHcations, properties, specifications, and analysis of color additives, as well as methods for the determination of colorants in products. 

C. Cal2olari, L. Coassini, and L. ToUat, QuademiMerceol 1, 89—131 (1962). Synthetic Food Colors. Reviews the regulation of food colors in various countries, the toxicity of the intermediates used to prepare them, and the toxicity of the degradation products of colorants. 

B. T. Hunter, Consumer Bulletin, 20—24 (May 1973). U.S. Certified Food Dyes—A look at the record of governmental failure to safeguard America s food products. A criticism of government s role in controlling the use of food colors. 

Biological free radicals occur as more or less stable intermediate products during many enzymatic reactions. Elavin and heme radicals and porphyrin molecules are relevant examples of food colorants. Extended literature surveys are available... 

Natural pigment production for food coloration includes the entire spectrum of biotechnologies. For example, biological production of carotenoid pigments has medical implications because carotenoids are nutritive (pro-vitamin A), antioxidant, and photoprotective. Carotenoids are produced alternately in agricultural systems (plants), industrial bioreactors (bacterial and fungi), and marine systems (cyanobacteria and algae). 

HPLC is often reported to be the technique of best choice for the quantification of food colorants. According to European Directive 94/36/EC, the quantities of synthetic colorants to be added to foods are restricted and thus reliable methods for their quantification must be established. Approved colorants, defined by E-coded numbers (Table 6.6.2), are permitted for non-alcoholic beverages, confectionery products, and even for caviar (dying fish roe). For example, a specific HPLC chromatographic method for the quantization of 14 synthetic food colorants belonging to azo dye, triphenyhnethane, or quinophthalone classes (E 102,104, 110, 122,123, 124, 127, 128, 129, 131, 132, 133, 142, 151) was reported to check their contents in caviar. ... 

Jimenez Aparicio, A. and Gntierez Lopez, G., Production of food related colorants by cnlture of plant cells the case of betalains., Adv. Exp. Med. Biol., 464, 195, 1999. Berset, C., Proprietes fonctionelles des colorants alimentaires naturels, Ind. Alim. Agr., 1, 5, 1994. 

In order to prevent indiscriminate use, regulations have been developed by many countries limiting the types, uses, and amounts of food colors permitted in foods (142,151). Since different countries allow the use of specific food colors, it is possible that foodstuffs may be imported into a country that forbids the coloring agent present in the product. Therefore, methods capable of identifying and quantifying several colors simultaneously are desired in order to verify compliance to regulations. Information on the levels of these compounds in foods is also important to assess where the dietary intake levels stand compared to the ADIs (131,152,153). 

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