Color additives are substances that impart color to food, cosmetics, medical devices, and drugs. When added to food, color additives – also known as food dyes – help make foods and beverages more attractive, appealing, and appetizing to consumers.
Synthetic color additives are made from petroleum, whereas others are produced through the synthesis or extraction of vegetable and mineral sources as well as insects.
Color additive regulations
In the United States (US), color additives fall into two main categories – those requiring certification and those exempt from certification.
Currently, there are nine synthetic food colors that are subject to certification by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure they meet the identity and specification requirements of their listing regulations.
Color additives subject to certification by the FDA include:1
- FD&C Blue No. 1
- FD&C Blue No. 2
- FD&C Green No. 3
- Orange B
- Citrus Red No. 2
- FD&C Red No. 3
- FD&C Red No. 40
- FD&C Yellow No. 5
- FD&C Yellow No. 6
Similarly, the European Union (EU) permits several colors of synthetic origin:2
- Tartrazine (E102)
- Quinoline Yellow (E104)
- Sunset Yellow; Orange Yellow S (E110)
- Azorubine; Carmosine (E122)
- Amaranth (E123)
- Ponceau 4R; Cochineal Red A (E124)
- Erythrosine (E127)
- Allura Red AC (E129)
- Patent Blue V (E131)
- Indigotine, Indigo Carmine (E132)
- Brilliant Blue FCF (E133)
- Green S (E142)
- Brilliant Black; Black PN (E151)
- Vegetable Carbon (E153)
- Brown HT (E154)
Color additives derived from plant or mineral sources are exempt from FDA certification; however, they still must comply with their listing regulations for identify and purity specifications as well as use limitations.
In the EU, natural constituents of food and other natural sources are defined as food colors, which do not fall within the scope of EU food additives regulations.
This table provides examples of common color additives in the US and EU and their applications in foods and beverages.
| US | EU | Color | Applications |
| Annatto extract | Annatto; Bixin; Norbixin (E160b) | Yellow-orange | Cheeses, butter and margarine, breakfast cereals, and smoke fish. |
| Dehydrated beets (beet powder) | Beetroot Red; Betanin (E162) | Dark red | Desserts, ice cream, jams, and snacks. |
| ß-Carotene | Carotenes (E160a) | Yellow-orange | Butter and margarine, cakes, and dairy products. |
| Cochineal extract; carmine | Cochineal; Carminic acid; Carmines (E120) | Red | Frozen meat and fish, soft drinks, and dairy products. |
| Ferrous gluconate | Ferrous gluconate (E579) | Black | Ripe olives |
| Grape color extract | Anthocyanins (E163) | Purple-red | Carbonated beverages, confectionary, desserts, yogurt, and fruit preparations. |
| Paprika | Paprika extract; Capsanthian; Capsorubin (E160c) | Red | Cheese, orange juice, sauces, and poultry feed. |
| Riboflavin | Riboflavin; Riboflavin-5′-phosphate (E101) | Yellow-orange | Soft drinks, dairy products, bakery goods, confectionery, and salad dressings. |
| Titanium dioxide | Titanium dioxide (E171) | White | Confectionary, bakery products, and sauces. |
| Tomato lycopene; tomato lycopene concentrate | Lycopene (E160d) | Red | Confectionary, desserts, mustard, snacks, and soups. |
| Turmeric | Curcumin (E100) | Yellow | Pickles, mustard, baked goods, dairy products, and snacks. |
Safety of color additives
The use of color additives – namely those of petroleum origin – in food and beverages has long been a controversial topic.
Color additives have been linked with hyperactivity and other behavioral symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.
Indeed, a review of 34 studies estimated that 8% of children with ADHD may have symptoms related to synthetic food colors. 3
Other research, however, has failed to find improvement in ADHD symptoms with the elimination of synthetic food colors from the diet.4
Still, the EU has specific labeling requirements for six food colors: Tartrazine (E102), Ponceau 4R (E124), Sunset Yellow FCF (E110), Azorubine (E122), Quinoline yellow (E104), and Allura Red (E129). These colors are required to be labeled with the following statement: “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.”2
The FDA suggests that the totality of scientific evidence indicates that most children have no adverse effects from consuming foods containing color additives but recognize that some children may be sensitive to them.1
Because of toxicological concerns demonstrated in vitro, consumer advocacy groups like the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) have called for the FDA to ban food dyes, and recommend that companies voluntary replace dyes with safer, natural colorings.5
In either case, the natural food and beverage color market continues to grow.
Food colors market
Valued at $3.3 billion in 2018, the global food colors market is expected to reach $4.9 billion by 2025 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.7% according to a report by BrandEssence Market Research and Consulting.6
The demand for natural food colors over synthetic has grown due to the adverse health effects associated with synthetic colors and a shift towards clean label products.
Due to their wide range of food applications, carotenoids and turmeric/curcumin are expected to dominate the food color market.
With the growing demand for natural blues and green shades in beverages and confectionary, the use of spirulina extract is also expected to grow.
Substantial growth for food colors obtained from non-synthetic sources is also expected for the alcohol and non-alcohol beverage sectors.
Furthermore, government regulations on the trading and manufacturing of synthetic food colors have facilitated food and beverage manufactures to adopt natural alternatives.
References
- Color Additives Questions and Answers for Consumers. FDA website. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/color-additives-questions-and-answers-consumers. Updated January 4, 2019. Accessed June 13, 2020.
- Approved additives and E numbers. Food Standards Agency website. https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/approved-additives-and-e-numbers. Updated March 1, 2018. Accessed June 13, 2020.
- Nigg JT, Lewis K, Edinger T, Falk M. Meta-analysis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms, restriction diet, and synthetic food color additives. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. January 2012;51(1):86-97.28.
- Pelsser LM, Frankena K, Toorman J, Rodrigues Pereira R. Diet and ADHD, reviewing the evidence: a systematic review of meta-analyses of double-blind placebo-controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of diet interventions on the behavior of children with ADHD. PLos One. January 25, 2017;12(1):e0169277.
- Kobylewski S and Jacobsen MF. Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks. Center for Science in the Public Interest. Washington, D.C., June 2010. https://cspinet.org/sites/default/files/attachment/food-dyes-rainbow-of-risks.pdf. Accessed June 13, 2020.
- Food Colors Market 2020 by Solubility (Lake, Dye), By Form (Liquid Gel, Liquid, Gel Paste, Powder), By Type (Natural, Synthetic, Natural Identical) Forecast to 2025. https://industrystatsreport.com/Food-and-Beverages/Food-Colors-Market-Size/Summary. Published June 2020. Accessed June 13, 2020.
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Thanks for the interesting overview. I would add there are many more relevant segments where Lycopene from natural source is used as a colorant for red or pink shades, including beverages, UHT treated dairy, fruit preparations, plant based meat alternatives. As Lycopene is superstable – it is pH independent, taste neutral and very stable to temperature and light it has many very versatile applications. It can be declared as Color: Lycopene or Color: Lycopene from red tomatoes.
Hi Christiane, thank you for reading.
Indeed, the versatility of lycopene as a food additive makes it highly desirable by food formulators and manufactures. It also carries strong consumer acceptance.
Thank you,
Gavin