Food coloring

Food Colorings are substances that give a color to a food or restore its original color; they include natural components of food and other elements of natural origin, normally not consumed as food or used as a typical food ingredient.

Preparations obtained from foods and other edible basic materials, of natural origin, obtained by means of a physical and / or chemical process involving selective extraction of the pigments, in relation to their nutritive or aromatic components, are coloring.

The rules on nutrition distinguish between edible dyes, which are added directly to foods, and a second group of dyes, which can only be used for coloring the surface of foods. Generally, the coloring of the surfaces, which relates for example to the rind of cheeses and the decoration of Easter eggs, is not carried out on the edible parts. If authorized by the European Union, consumer dyes are marked with numbers preceded by the letter E (Europe); instead, dyes for food wraps and coatings are qualified with a number preceded by the letter C. Food colors are indicated on the labels with the following wording: from E 100 to E 199.

Particular attention should be paid to dyes for cosmetics: since these dyes, for example those used for lipstick, can be ingested, they are subject to the same restrictions and the same controls as for food colors.

For some foods, Italian law prohibits the use of any type of dye. These foods are: coffee, chocolate, nougat, vinegar, fruit juices, wine, beer, oil, water, bread, pasta, rice, sugar, honey, meat and fish. These products must be offered to the public in their natural coloring; otherwise it is a fraud to mask the lack of authenticity of a product or its state of alteration.

The most recent EU legislation requires, starting from 20 July 2010, that for some colorants on the label additional indications will appear. These are those dyes for which, over the years, studies on the concentration and attention of children, especially in schools, have shown a negative influence. Some children are in fact more sensitive to processed foods and show immediate effects immediately after ingesting food containing dyes. However, the toxicity of an additive is always in relation to the quantity ingested and also depends on the interference that one has with other additives.

Colorants without side effects : of the currently permitted dyes, vitamin groups (such as vitamin B2), provitamins (such as beta-carotene) and natural components such as chlorophyll, carotenoid and beetroot are part of this category. Their safety is undoubted, so much so that they can be used in food without explicit indications. In the case in which, however, the addition of these dyes may mask the consumer the actual quality of the food in which they are contained, they must be reported on the label.

Dyes with side effects : there are different dyes (especially the azo ones, that is those dyes that formally derive from azobenzene and that therefore present the azo group –N = N– between two aromatic rings of benzene, but also of naphthalene, of the anthracene or aromatic heterocycles, are also called azo dyes) on which it is possible to assume a certain risk factor for human health. In particular there may be cases of allergic reactions, sometimes caused even by very small parts of these dyes, especially in those people who have allergies to acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) as well as to salicylates.

There are a great many people who, each year, are affected by hives due to allergic reactions to food additives. About 10% of asthmatics react to azo dyes with asthma attacks.

Which foods can dyes be added to?

According to the latest provisions, the foods that can be treated with the permitted colorings are above all the following:

Confectionery: icings and sugar-based products, with the exception of liquorice and products prepared with milk, butter, honey, eggs, malt, caramel, cocoa, chocolate, coffee; cocktail cherries; candied fruit, with the exception of candied orange and lemon peels; packaged ice creams; marzipan and the like.

Fish: products based on fish eggs; shrimp in a jar; canned salmon fillets.

Other products: low calorie jams, creams and jellies, puddings, sweet sauces and soups with the exception of products based on cocoa, chocolate, coffee, eggs and caramelized sugar; effervescent drinks, packaged drinks, margarine, cheeses, herbal liqueurs; preserved strawberries, raspberry and cherries.

Instructions on the packaging:

Due to the long and complicated chemical definitions, complete indication of the dyes on food packaging is not necessary.

According to the regulations in force, on a visible side of the package the indication “colored” or “with dye” must be clearly printed, a short distance from the commercial name (for example, strawberry candies with coloring). A more precise characterization is then reported in the list of ingredients, where it is possible to find the list of additives.

What are the dyes?

The dyes can be classified either according to the color they give to the foods to which they are added, or according to their origin. Below we group them according to the first classification.

E100-109	YELLOW COLOR
E110-119	ORANGE COLOUR
E120-129	RED
E130-139	BLUE COLOR
E140-149	GREEN COLOUR
E150-159	BROWN-BLACK COLOR
E160-199	MIXED COLOURS

Deepening Articles
E100	E101	E101a	E102	E104	E110
E120	E122	E123	E124	E127	E128
E129	E131	E132	E133	E140	E141
E142	E150a	E150b	E150c	E150d	E151
E153	E154	E155	E160a	E160b	E160c
E160d	E160e	E160f	E161	E161a	E161b
E161c	E161d	E161e	E161f	E161g	E162
E163	E170	E171	E172	E173	E174
E175	E180