Food Colorings, color Brown - Black

The brown color of the dyes (sometimes tending to black) is obtained from the caramel, the "cooked / burnt" sugar that we all know well.

The European Union Directive 94/36 / EU lists 4 "brown" color groups / classes and defines the starting sugars from which these dyes can be obtained: the aforementioned sugars are glucose, sucrose or a mixture of the two; these glucides are then treated with heat and chemical substances (specifically sulfuric acid and ammonia).

The four classes are:

• E150a SIMPLE OR RAW CARAMEL

• E150b CARAMEL SULPHITE CAUSTIC

• E150c AMMONIACAL CARAMEL

• E150d AMMONIAC ​​SULPHITE CARAMEL (same as above)

In reference to the following dyes, they are thought to prevent the body from properly assimilating vitamin B6. Furthermore, there are contradictory studies on their effects: some authors think that these dyes can contain monosodium glutamate (E651) and be carcinogenic, others not; ultimately there is still no certainty about it.

• E151- BRILLIANT BLACK BN OR BLACK PN (CI28440)

• E153-MEDICINAL VEGETABLE CARBON

• E154 BRUNO FK OR BROWN KIPPLER

• E155- BRUNO HT or CHOCOLATE BROWN (CI 20285)