Food Coloring Ingredients

Food coloring is a substance that is added to food and beverages to make them more vibrant and appetizing. It is a type of food additive that can be found in a large number of products right from candies to baked goods, frostings, and wines.

Apart from creating a new color or enhancing the natural color, these additives can help protect the color of a food or drink from the effects of light and temperature. In general, color additives or food colorings come in two forms - dye and lake. A dye is soluble in water, but insoluble in oil, while a lake is soluble in oil and is more stable than dyes.

Color additives can be natural or artificial. Artificial dyes can contain propylparaben and propylene glycol, along with the color additives approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) of the United States. Color additives are primarily derived from petroleum and coal tar. The burning of coal tar can give a range of colors.

Red, yellow, and blue are the three primary colors that can be mixed with each other to create a wide spectrum of colors. The color additives approved by the FDA are usually denoted by certain numbers, such as red 3, yellow 5, etc. The following are the main ingredients found in these color additives.

The artificial red eye contains the following ingredients:

✧ Propylene glycol
✧ Propylparaben
✧ Water
✧ FD&C red 40
✧ FD&C red 3

Propylene glycol is a food additive and solvent that can stabilize the ingredients of a product. It is a colorless liquid that is obtained from propylene oxide. Propylparaben on the other hand, is a preservative. FD&C red 40 is also known by the name of Allura Red AC, and it has been approved by the FDA for use in food, drugs, and cosmetics.

It was originally derived from coal tar, but today this dye is produced from petroleum. FD&C red 3, also known as erythrosine, is derived from fluorone. This dye is not commonly used in the United States.

The main ingredients of the synthetic green dye are:

✧ Propylene glycol
✧ Propylparaben
✧ Water
✧ FD&C yellow 5
✧ FD&C blue 1

FD&C Yellow 5, also known as tartrazine, is an azo dye that imparts a lemon-yellow color to food and drugs. It is widely used for coloring sweets, ice creams, soft drinks, jam, and jelly. Brilliant Blue FCF or FD&C Blue 1 is produced from aromatic hydrocarbons obtained during petroleum refining.

Synthetic Yellow Dye Ingredients

The synthetic yellow food coloring usually contains the following ingredients:

✧ Propylene glycol
✧ Propylparaben
✧ Water
✧ FD&C yellow 5
✧ FD&C red 40

Synthetic Blue Dye Ingredients

The blue food coloring is usually obtained from FD&C blue 1 or 'brilliant blue' and FD&C blue 2 or 'indigotine'. As mentioned already, blue 1 is obtained from petroleum. On the other hand, the dye indigotine can be termed as a synthetic version of the indigo dye, which was historically obtained from the plants of the genus Indigofera.

Components of Synthetic Black Dye

The synthetic black dye is obtained by combining the following ingredients:

✧ Phosphoric acid
✧ Water
✧ Sodium benzoate
✧ FD&C red 40
✧ FD&C blue 1
✧ FD&C yellow 5.

Phosphoric acid is an inorganic acid. The food-grade phosphoric acid is used to acidify foods and beverages. Sodium benzoate on the other hand, is a preservative that takes the place of propylparaben in synthetic black dye.

The various color additives are tested for their safety by several authorities across the world, but their findings have been quite different from one another. The color additives used in the United States are approved by the FDA, and it is reflected in the FD&C numbers given to them.

Despite the FDA approval, the artificial or synthetic food colors are often seen with suspicion. Some scientific studies have also pointed out that certain synthetic food colors can have an association with the rising incidence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.

They believe that the use of petrochemicals, hydrocarbon derivatives, and coal tar in artificial color additives can be associated with such disorders.

The synthetic color additives are also believed to have an adverse effect on the immune system and male fertility, besides having association with health conditions like asthma and allergies. The FD&C red 3 color additive is even suspected to be carcinogenic. The following are some color additives that are often seen with suspicion:

✧ FD&C blue 1
✧ FD&C blue 2
✧ FD&C green 3
✧ FD&C red 3
✧ FD&C red 40
✧ FD&C yellow 5
✧ FD&C yellow 6
✧ Orange B

The natural food colors are considered as the safe alternatives to synthetic color additives. With the growing concern about the dangers of artificial color additives, the natural food colors are gaining popularity across the world. Some natural food dyes are also produced commercially.

For example, the caramel color is largely produced from caramelized sugar, while the natural orange color is usually obtained from seeds. Annatto, the reddish-orange dye, is derived from the achiote seeds. Saffron and poppy leaves can also be used to produce a natural orange dye.

The natural green dyes are mainly made from seaweed, chlorella algae, and other vegetation. On the other hand, turmeric powder is the natural yellow dye that is used for coloring food. The natural red dye is usually made from fruits and vegetables, like beetroot, carrots, cherries, elderberries, and currants.

It can also be obtained from the cochineal insect, known as Dactylopius coccus. Even paprika can be used for making a natural red dye. The flowers of the butterfly pea on the other hand, can be used to make a blue dye.

To sum up, all food colorings or color additives either come from natural sources, which include plants, animals, and organic compounds, or they are synthesized artificially. The artificial pigments are basically coal or petroleum-based dyes. They are less expensive than the natural food dyes, and they can give an even color to food and beverages.