FOOD COLORS: TYPES AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS - NUTRITION - 2025

Food colorants are chemical or natural compounds that modify the original tonality of food and are used for various purposes, among which are the search to give a much more attractive or novel color to the product and, on the other hand, to ensure return the color lost in the manipulations for its conservation.

The latter is what happens, for example, with canned fruits, which without the addition of these colorants would result in a strange and unattractive brown color. It also happens with the famous paella, to which coloring is added to give it a more attractive color.

I imagine that we agree that if the food (especially if we do not know exactly where it comes from) does not present a friendly aspect, even if it is delicious, it does not fully curdle us and does not meet our expectations. Either for a merely visual, mental or other issue.

This is as true as it is common to live the fact that many foods considered exquisite by some people, others find it practically impossible to consume them simply because of their appearance.

In this sense, it is very curious to consider the influence of color beyond the taste or smell, there being many people who, for example, get to confuse the taste of a red wine with that of a white if they do not observe it before, or that you are unable to guess what you are eating if you do it blindly.

Historical background

This is not something new, since the coloring of food was practiced even since the Ancient Age in times of the Roman Empire and the great pharaohs of Egypt. Later, in the often ignored Middle Ages, in order to remedy the monotony of their diet, people added natural colorants such as chard, spinach, carrot extracts or countless wild herbs.

If we go back to the 18th or 19th centuries, with the incipient development of the laboratories of Alchemists, precursors of the great chemical industries, food was colored with lead chromate, mercury sulphite, copper arsenate or coal tar.

However, many of these were banned in 1887 through the first law of colorants, having already proven some of their harmful effects.

After these vicissitudes, in the middle of the 19th century, different colorants of luminous dyes were discovered or developed, which at first were used for the coloring of textile garments and that, later, their application to food was diversified.

Why did they do it? Simply because in this way it was achieved that they had a more palatable appearance, which in turn also made it possible to put fresh products on sale together and in a state almost of decomposition, many times deceiving buyers of fairs or popular markets.

Nowadays, the market and the application of colorants have diversified and expanded so much that many times we do not even know the natural color of food, due to the habitual nature of buying and consuming them with a certain aspect.

What does the current legislation say?

Health is too relevant an issue, for which the laws in this regard are regularly reviewed and modified, therefore these products must go through various tests, monitoring and requirements to be approved for use in food and then allow their commercialization to the public.

However, this will depend on the particular country or geographical area where you want to work with these, since currently colorants are the group of additives with the most dissimilar legal regulations.

For example, in many of the Nordic countries its use is practically not authorized, while a few kilometers away, in the United Kingdom even some are used that are not authorized in almost any other country in the European Union.

If we compare different continents, the contrasts are greater, as there are notable differences between the colors authorized in the United States and in the European Union, which occasionally hinders international trade in some processed foods.

It should be remembered that for a food coloring (or any additive) to be used in the European Union, it must first appear on the list of those authorized in general and it must also be authorized to be applied in that specific product.

What is the IDA number or value?

The IDA acronym stands for “Acceptable Daily Intake” and, by means of this figure (which has been studied for years in laboratory tests), it is indicated what is the tolerable daily dose of a certain substance.

That is, the amount that a person can take daily during his life without causing damage or damage in itself to his health. This amount is usually expressed in mg or ml for each kilogram of the individual's body weight and in daily doses.

However, it must be taken into account that the ADI is not always valid for all age groups, since for example infants have their organ systems still in the maturing process and their detoxification mechanism is weaker than that of adults.

What are E numbers?

If on the packaging of a product you find various letters E that seem strange codes, I inform you that, in order to allow free trade of food from one country to another, the European Union has assigned additives a number of 3 - 4 figures preceded by the letter E (from Europe) which allows them to be absolutely identified.

This code must necessarily appear on the container label and are as follows:

• E1-dyes
• E2-preservatives
• E3-antioxidants
• E4-emulsifiers, stabilizers, thickeners and gelling agents
• E5-anti-caking agents, acids, bases and salts
• E620 to E635-flavor enhancers
• E901 to E904-coating agents
• E950 to E967-sweeteners

Consequently, these E numbers allow, by substituting the words for the figures, to mention the additives in a more summarized way without having to fill the labels with too many words or chemical names that are difficult to understand by the general population, also saving the problem of use in the different languages.

What types of colorants are there?

In the first place, there are those of natural origin that, as the name implies, are extracted from a plant, animal or mineral substance. On the other hand there are the synthetics, these are products that have been obtained in laboratories through various specific chemical reactions.

Among the natural colorants we can distinguish the water-soluble (soluble in water), the fat-soluble (soluble in lipid media), and the minerals.

While artificial colorants are soluble in water, due to the presence of sulfonic acid groups, and due to their deliberate manipulation they are easy to use, generally in the form of sodium salts, in liquids and creamy materials.

Another point in favor of artificial colorants is that in general, they are much more resistant to heat treatments, extreme pH and light than natural colorants.

- Water soluble natural colorants

Curcumin (E100)

Turmeric rhizome (Curcuma longa). Source:

It applies a yellowish orange color, extracted from the root of turmeric or obtained synthetically by fermentation with the help of bacteria. It is used in soft drinks, jams, butters, cheeses, pastry and bakery products, curries, tea, sausages, and rice-based dishes. It does not present toxicity, except for some allergic predisposition.

Riboflavin, lactoflavin or B2 (E101)

Crystal of cultured potassium alum, colored with vitamin B2. The glass is illuminated under ultraviolet light. Source: TipFox Gives a fluorescent yellow color, with a slight odor. It is vitamin B2. It is obtained from generally synthetic brewer's yeast. It is found naturally in the liver, vegetables, soups, sauces, pasta, dairy products and is also produced by the gut microbiota. It is considered safe.

Mealybug (E120)

Woodlouse. Source: Katja Schulz from Washington, DC, USA This dye is a carmine red color. They obtain it from the dry carapace of the fertilized females of the cochineal insect. It is stable to light, heat and fruit acids.

Its application is widespread in liquors, fruit wines, sweets, soft drinks, etc. Its side effects are not known, however there is controversy about whether it may cause some level of pathological hyperactivity in children.

Candy (E150)

Soft drinks contain caramel. Source: Skoot13 Of an intense brown color. It works with different types obtained by heating sugar or starch, some in the presence of ammonia or ammonium sulphite. It is often found in sweets, cola drinks, beer, alcoholic beverages, pastries, bread, cereals, chocolate.

- Natural fat-soluble dyes

Chlorophylls (E140 and 141)

Chlorophyll. Source: Kristian Peters - Fabelfroh These are the ones that give a characteristic green leaf color. It is extracted from various green plants. Its use is wide in chewing gums, sweets, vegetables, jams and liqueurs. It is considered safe.

Carotenoids (E160)

Lycopene carotenoid in tomatoes. Source: Scott Bauer, USDA ARS It gives us a yellowish orange color that comes from plant extracts such as carrots or seaweed. They are precursors of vitamin A. It is stabilized by ascorbic acid and protects from decomposition by oxidation.

You will find it declared in products such as butters, margarines, cheese, mayonnaise, ice cream, desserts, marzipan. No side effects to date.

Xanthophylls (E161)

Xanthophyll in leaves. Source: Kornelia and Hartmut Häfele, Another shade of orange, this time from the xanthophyll of nettles, alfalfa, palm oil or egg yolk. It is used in sauces, condiments, treats, cakes, and cookies. It is also considered safe.

- Synthetic azo dyes

Tartrazine (E102)

Lemon yellow. It is the dye that is associated with the most allergic reactions and is suspected of leaving residues of carcinogenic substances. Even since July 20, 2010, foods containing this dye must bear the warning: "it can alter activity and attention in children."

Its applications are wide especially in foods such as powdered soft drinks, sweets, ice cream, snacks, sauces and condiments.

Orange yellow S or sun yellow FCF (E110)

Orange-yellow molecule S. Source: Yevhenii Vaskivskyi Orange-yellow color. It is used in jams, cookies and pastry products, orange sodas and instant soups. As with tartrazine, it is considered a carcinogenic compound and a frequent allergen in children and adults.

Amaranth (E123)

Amaranth flower, origin of the name of the synthetic color. Source: Kurt Stüber Gives an intense red color that tends to abound in candies and pastry products as well as many liqueurs. However, it has been linked to allergic reactions and cancer.

Final thoughts

Without a doubt, colorants (whether of natural or artificial origin) are installed in our society and are part of our daily lives. But that is not why we must lower our guard and allow any type of substance to be used in order to lower the costs of the industries and that they achieve even greater economic returns.

As a society, we must seek the balance between having attractive foods at reasonable production and sale costs, but without diminishing their quality or less the safety of their consumption in terms of health.

After all, colorants are chemical additives that are added to food in order to make it more attractive to us. Therefore, we as consumers are the main agents in this regard, because if we are not pleased with a product, sales decrease and industries are forced to improve their production systems.

We must consider that the more intense color the food has, the greater the chances that it contains numerous additives. This is especially the case with sweets, soft drinks, ready meals, industrial desserts, confectionery products, sauces, desserts, ice cream, alcoholic beverages and others.

Generally we are too trusting and we do not check the labels of the food, we assume that these are the way they are sold to us or we simply do not really want to know what we are consuming

What do you think of all this? Do you think we really have to color food to make it more attractive? Is it a necessary evil? Maybe a great idea that has been refined over the years?

References

1. Chemistry and food. Permanent Forum Chemistry and Society. Business Federation of the Spanish Chemical Industry.
2. Elmadfa, I., Muskat, E. and Fritzsche, D. Table of additives. The numbers E. Ed. Hispano
3. European. 2011.
4. Molina R, Vicente A, Cristobal N, Advances in preservation of fruits and vegetables with bioactive coatings.
5. Martine P, Gérard J, Mostafa OE, Jean MP. Lack of genotoxic effect of food dyes amaranth, sunset yellow and tartrazine and their metabolites in the gut micronucleus assay in mice. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 2009; 47 (2): 443-448
6. Kanarek, BR (2011). Artificial food dyes and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 69 (7), pp. 1-6.
7. Sanchez Juan Rocio, The chemistry of color in food, QuímicaViva Magazine - Number 3, year 12, December 2013.
8. Francisco C. Ibáñez, Dra. Paloma Torre, Dra. Aurora Irigoyen, Food Additives, Public University of Navarra.