The Food colorings 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 color much more attractive or novel to the product and, on the other hand, to try to return the color Lost in the manipulations for its conservation.
The latter is what happens for example with preserved fruits which without the addition of these dyes would result from a strange and unattractive brown color.
I imagine that we agree that if the food (especially if we do not know exactly its origin) does not present a friendly aspect, however delicious it does, it does not completely fill us and does not fulfill our expectations. Whether for a merely visual, mental or other subject.
This is as true as that it is frequent to live the fact that enough foods considered exquisite by some people, others find it practically impossible to consume them simply by their appearance.
In this sense, it is very curious to consider the influence of color so much beyond the taste or smell, many people who, for example, get to confuse the taste of a red wine with that of a white if not observed before, or that He is unable to guess what he is eating if he does it blindly.
Historical background
This is not something new, since the coloring of food was practiced even from ancient times in 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 colorings such as extracts of Swiss chard, spinach, carrots, or herbs.
If we go back to the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries, with the incipient development of the laboratories of Alchemists precursors of the great industries of Chemistry, the foods were colored with lead chromate, mercury sulphite, copper arseniate or coal tar.
However, many of these were banned in 1887 through the first law of colorants, having already been proven then, some of its harmful effects.
After these vicissitudes, in the middle of the nineteenth century, different dyes of light dyes were discovered or developed, which were initially used for the coloring of textile garments and later, their application to food was diversified.
Why did they do it? Simply because in this way it was obtained that they had a more appealing aspect, which in turn also allowed to put on sale together fresh products and in almost state of decomposition, deceiving many times to the buyers of fairs or Markets.
Nowadays, the market and the application of dyes have diversified and expanded, that we often do not even know the natural color of food, due to the habitual buying and consuming them with a certain aspect.
What does current legislation say?
Health is an issue that is too relevant, and therefore laws are regularly reviewed and amended, so these products must undergo various tests, follow-up and requirements to be approved for use in food and then allow marketing to the public.
However, this will depend on the particular country or geographic area where it is desired to work with these, since currently the colorants are the group of additives with more dissimilar legal regulations.
For example, in many of the Nordic countries practically no use is authorized, whereas a few kilometers in the United Kingdom even some are used that are not authorized in almost any other country of the European Union.
If we compare between different continents the contrasts are greater, because there are notable differences between the authorized colorants in the United States and the European Union, which occasionally hinders the international trade of some processed foods.
It should be recalled that in order to be able to use a food coloring agent (or any additive) in the European Union, it must be on the list of authorized foodstuffs in general and must be authorized to be applied to that specific product.
What is the value or number I.D.A.?
The acronym I.D.A. Means"Admissible Daily Intake", and this figure (which is studied over the years in laboratory tests) indicates the tolerable daily dose of a substance.
That is, the amount that a person can take daily during his life without this causing him harm or damage per se to his health.
This amount is usually expressed in mg or ml for each kilogram of body weight of the individual and in daily dose.
However, it should be noted that I.D.A. Is not always valid for all age groups, for example infants present their organic systems still in the process of maturation and its mechanism of detoxification is weaker than that of adults.
What are E numbers?
If in the packaging of a product you find several E-letters that seem strange codes, I inform you that, in order to allow free trade of foods from one country to another, the Union Has assigned to the additives a number of 3-4 digits preceded by the letter E (from Europe) which allows them to be absolutely identified.
This code must appear on the package 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 substituting words for numbers, mentioning additives in a more concise manner without having to fill labels with too many words or chemical names difficult to understand by the general population, saving the problem of use in The different languages.
What types of dyes exist?
First are those of natural origin which, as its name says, are extracted from a plant, animal or mineral substance.
On the other hand are synthetics, these are products that have been obtained in laboratories through various chemical reactions specific.
Among the natural dyes we can distinguish water soluble (water soluble), liposoluble (soluble in lipid media), and minerals.
While the artificial colorants are soluble in water, due to the presence of groups of Sulfonic acid , And by their intended handling are easy to use, generally in the form of sodium salts, in liquids and creamy materials.
Another point in favor of artificial coloring is that in general, they are much more resistant to heat treatments, extreme pH and light than natural dyes.
Natural Colorants Water-soluble
- Curcumin (E100): 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, pastries and bakery, curry, tea, sausages and rice dishes. No toxicity, except for some allergic predisposition.
- Riboflavin, lactoflavine or B2 (E101): Gives a yellow color by pulling fluorescent, with a slight odor. Is the Vitamin B2 . It is obtained from generally synthetic brewer's yeast. It is found naturally in the liver, vegetables, soups, sauces, pasta, and dairy products is also produced by the intestinal microbiota. It is considered innocuous.
- Cochinilla (E120): This dye is a red carmine color. They obtain it from the dry shell of the fertilized females of the insect cochineal. It is stable in light, heat and acids of fruits. Its application is widespread in liqueurs, fruit wines, sweets, soft drinks, etc. Its side effects are not known, however there is controversy as to whether it may cause some Level of pathological hyperactivity in children .
- Caramel (E150): 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 Liposoluble Dyes
- Chlorophylls (E140 and 141): These are the ones that grant a characteristic green color of leaves. It is extracted from various green plants. Its use is ample in chewing gums, sweets, vegetables, confections and liqueurs. It is considered safe.
- Carotenoids (E160): Gives us a yellowish orange color that comes from plant extracts like carrots or seaweed. They are precursors of Vitamin A . It is stabilized by ascorbic acid and protects from oxidation decomposition. You will find it declared in products like butters, margarines, cheese, mayonnaise, ice cream, desserts, marzipan. No side effects to date.
- Xanthophylls (E161): Another hue of orange, this time coming from the xanthophyll of nettles, alfalfa, palm oil or egg yolk. It is used in sauces, condiments, candies, cakes and cookies. It is also considered safe.
Synthetic dyes of the Azoic type
- Tartrazine (E102): Lemon yellow color. It is the dye that is associated with more allergic reactions and is suspected of leaving residues of carcinogenic substances. Even as of July 20, 2010, foods containing this dye should carry the warning:"may alter activity and attention in children." Its applications are wide especially in foods such as soft drinks powder, sweets, ice cream, snacks, sauces and condiments.
- Yellow orange S or yellow sun FCF (E110): Orange yellow color. It is used in jams, biscuits and pastries, orange soda and instant soups. As with the Tartrazine , Is considered a carcinogenic compound and frequent allergen in children and adults.
- Amaranth (E123): Gives an intense red color that usually abounds in sweets and pastry products in addition to many liquors. However it has been linked to allergic reactions and cancer.
Final Considerations
Undoubtedly, dyes (whether natural or artificial) 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 kind of substance to be used in order to lower the costs of industries and to achieve even greater economic returns.
We must seek as a society the balance between having attractive foods at reasonable costs of production and sale, but without reducing the quality of these nor less the security of their consumption in terms of health.
After all, dyes are chemical additives that are added to foods in order to make them more attractive to us. Therefore, we as the consumers are the main agents in this respect, because if we do not enjoy 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 will contain numerous additives. This is especially true with sweets, soft drinks, ready meals, industrial desserts, confectionery, sauces, desserts, ice cream, alcoholic beverages and others.
Usually we are overconfident and do not check food labels, we assume that these are just like they are sold to us or we are simply not interested in really knowing what we are consuming
What do you think of all this? Do you really think we have to color the foods to make them more attractive? Is it a necessary evil? Perhaps a great idea that has been perfecting through the years?
References
- Chemistry and food. Permanent Forum Chemistry and Society. Business Federation of the Spanish Chemical Industry.
- Elmadfa, I., Muskat, E. and Fritzsche, D. Table of additives. The numbers E. Ed Hispanic
- European Union. 2011.
- Molina R, Vicente A, Cristobal N, Advances in preservation of fruits and vegetables with bioactive coatings.
- 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
- Kanarek, B. R. (2011). Artificial food dyes and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 69 (7), pp.1-6.
- Sanchez Juan Rocio, The chemistry of color in food, Revista QuímicaViva - Issue 3, year 12, December 2013.
- Francisco C. Ibáñez, Dr. Paloma Torre, Dr. Aurora Irigoyen, Food Additives, Public University of Navarra.