Synthetic colorants listing

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. 

Considering the concerns of consumers for synthetic colorants and interest in natural formulas, many food manufacturers seek alternative healthy solutions to replace colorants, even the regulated ones from positive lists (like p-carotene), with colored fruit and vegetable extracts to be used as functional food ingredients or nutraceuticals (food supplements). ... 

LIST OF SYNTHETIC COLORANTS USED (EU AND FDA REGULATIONS) AS FOOD ADDITIVES... 

Previously, several different colorants were used in foods. However, there has been a gradual erosion of synthetic colors from the permitted list of many countries (142). Today, the types of colorants permitted for use varies greatly among countries. In the United States, seven synthetic colors are permitted for general use in foods. The European Economic Community allows much more than that. Norway, however, prohibits the use of any synthetic dye in the manufacture of foods. Therefore, color additives can become trade barriers for foods. Since international trade is becoming increasingly important, there is need of a worldwide list of permitted color additives (128,136,150). 

According to Newsome (1990) only nine synthetic colors are currently approved for food use and 21 nature-identical colors are exempt from certification. The approved FD C colors are listed in Exhibit 11-2. Citrus red no. 2 is only permitted for external use on oranges, with a maximum level of 2 ppm on the weight of the whole orange. Its use is not permitted on oranges destined for processing. 

Early uses of synthetic colors were at times a threat to health because they were used without discrimination between those that were toxic and those that were safe. Increasing public concern around the world led to early studies and regulations that produced various lists of colors found suitable for addition to foods and drugs. 

Recent discussions within the EU have indicated that the colorant list from 94/36/EC will be rationalized into a new pharmaceutical color directive in the future so that the colorant lists will be aligned. It is now considered acceptable to use these colors in new drug applications even though the formal directives have not yet been finalized. However, each country may have some specific regulations for the use of these colorants in pharmaceuticals that must also be considered. Some non-member European countries, such as some Scandinavian countries, severely restrict the use of synthetic colors and in some cases oppose their use entirely. 

Additional non-synthetic colors may be acceptable for pharmaceutical applications based on previous precedence of use. These colors are typically listed in the Japanese Pharmaceutical Excipients (JPE) Directory along with their Japanese Pharmacopoeia (JP) or JPE specification. ... 

Some critics say that the goods provided by the CPI are not needed and should not be produced. Examples of supposedly unnecessary products are synthetic fibers (vs. cotton or wool), plastic containers, disposable diapers, artificial or synthetic coloring and flavors in foods, food preservatives, fertilizers, and insecticides. Since these products are purchased, there must be some benefit to the consumer. Does the public have such poor judgment and taste that critics need to dictate what people should do Select three CPI products and list their advantages and disadvantages to society as a whole. 

Table 8.13. Structures of the synthetic food colorants listed in Table 8.12...

The use of synthetic colorants is strictly controlled by different national legislations. Food colorants are tested for safety by various bodies around the world, which list the permitted substances that can be used for this purpose, while acceptable daily intakes (ADI) are evaluated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 

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. 

Colorants exempt from certification are derived from animal, vegetable, or mineral origin or are synthetic duplicates of naturally existing colors. They contain complex mixtures of numerous components and are listed in 21 CFR, part 73. 

Colorants were the first food additives subjected to governmental regulation in the United States (US). After successive toxicological evaluations, the Food and Drug Administration established a list of permitted colorants and lakes. Only 7 synthetic pigments (and 2 others with restrictions) and 6 of their lakes are now permitted as food colorants in the US while 17 are permitted in the European Union (EU) see Table 7.3.L - ... 

The facile nitration of a wide variety of ketones with TNM in Table 2 is illustrative of the synthetic utility of enol silyl ethers in facilitating a-substitution of carbonyl derivatives. It is necessary to emphasize here that the development of a strong charge-transfer (orange to red) coloration immediately upon the mixing of various ESEs with TNM invariably precedes the actual production of a-nitroketones in the thermal nitration (in the dark). The increasing conversion based on the time/yields listed in Table 2 qualitatively follows a trend in which electron-rich ESE from 6-methoxy-a-tetralone reacts faster than the relatively electron-poor ESE from cyclohexanone. 

There is as yet no agreed international list of permitted food colours. Thus a food dye that is permitted in one country may be considered unacceptable in another. The synthetic food colorants permitted in the European Union are listed in Table 1.8 [60]. All were originally introduced as acid dyes for wool many years ago. Furthermore, more than thirty colorants of natural origin are permitted in most countries. The natural carotenoid dyes are of outstanding importance for colouring edible fats and oils. These yellow to red methine dye structures occur in many families of plants and animals, including vegetables, berries,... 

Most synthetic dyes commonly used in food are summarized in Tables 5.5-5.7, which list dyes approved for food coloring in the EEC, the USA, and Japan. Some of the dyes are allowed for specific applications only. 

Japaa In Japanese Food Law, synthetic and naturally occurring additives are treated differently. The latter, in particular naturally occurring flavors and vitamins, do not require any special permission for use. The Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHW) is responsible for the approval of color additives which are outlined in a positive list of approved colors. MHW allows petitions for the addition of a new colorant to the list. Synthetic dyes permitted for food coloring in Japan include food dyes approved in the EU or/and in the USA (Table 5.7). 

The natural or nature-identical colors are less stable than the synthetic ones, more variable, and more likely to introduce undesirable flavors. The major categories of natural food colors and their sources are listed in Table 11-5. 

Several dye coloration scales are used to characterize starch varieties. Perhaps the oldest is the differentiation between starches based on the uptake of Saphranin and Gentiana Violet (see Table XXXVIII).787 Co-vello788 presented another coloration scale which is based on the use of six common acidic and basic dyes (see Table XXXIX). Like the Saphranin and Gentiana Violet dyes, these dyes adsorb directly on starch. Table XL presents a list of synthetic dyes tested in starch dyeing.789-790 Zwikker791 observed the reactions of mechanically damaged starch granules and amylo-... 

Food, drug, and cosmetic dyes. Most synthetic and natural dyes commonly used in food, drugs, and cosmetics are carefully controlled materials, regulated by the government agencies in the EEC, the United States, and Japan. These currently consist of very few (under 100) dyes and are listed in the approved list. Regulations list the approved color additives and conditions under which they may be safely used, including the amounts that may be used. 

The list of everyday products made from organic compounds is very long. It includes drugs, artificial fibers, dyes, artificial colors and flavors, food additives, cosmetics, plastics of all kinds, detergents, synthetic rubber, adhesives, antifreeze, pesticides and herbicides, synthetic fuels, and refrigerants. 

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