Food coloring
Food colorants are also used in various non-food applications, including cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, home craft projects, and medical devices.
The addition of colorants to foods is thought to have occurred in Egyptian cities as early as 1500 BC, when candy makers added natural extracts and wine to improve the products' appearance.
[6] During the Middle Ages, the economy in the European countries was based on agriculture, and the peasants were accustomed to producing their own food locally or trading within the village communities.
One of the first food laws, created in Augsburg, Germany, in 1531, concerned spices or colorants and required saffron counterfeiters to be burned to death.
[8]Carotenoids (E160, E161, E164), chlorophyllin (E140, E141), anthocyanins (E163), and betanin (E162) comprise four main categories of plant pigments grown to color food products.
Hexane, acetone, and other solvents break down cell walls in the fruit and vegetables and allow for maximum extraction of the coloring.
[7] Heavy metal and other inorganic element-containing compounds turned out to be cheap and suitable to "restore" the color of watered-down milk and other foodstuffs, some more lurid examples being:[12]
[12] Thus, with potted meat, fish and sauces taken at breakfast he would consume more or less Armenian bole, red lead, or even bisulphuret of mercury [vermillion, HgS].
At dinner with his curry or cayenne he would run the chance of a second dose of lead or mercury; with pickles, bottled fruit and vegetables he would be nearly sure to have copper administrated to him; and while he partook of bon-bons at dessert, there was no telling of the number of poisonous pigments he might consume.
Again his tea if mixed or green, he would certainly not escape without the administration of a little Prussian blue...[13] Many color additives had never been tested for toxicity or other adverse effects.
German food regulations released in 1882 stipulated the exclusion of dangerous "minerals" such as arsenic, copper, chromium, lead, mercury, and zinc, which were frequently used as ingredients in colorants.
[19] In contrast to today's regulatory guidelines, these first laws followed the principle of a negative listing (substances not allowed for use); they were already driven by the main principles of today's food regulations all over the world, since all of these regulations follow the same goal: the protection of consumers from toxic substances and from fraud.
[7] In the United States, the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 reduced the permitted list of synthetic colors from 700 down to seven.
[7] Positive listing implies that substances meant for human consumption have been tested for their safety, and that they have to meet specified purity criteria prior to their approval by the corresponding authorities.
Home chefs, particularly those active on social media, are seeking vibrant colors to enhance the aesthetic appeal of their homemade snacks and treats.
Some localities, such as California, have implemented regulations restricting certain artificial dyes due to concerns about their impact on children's behavior.
[7] To further regulate the use of these evaluated additives, in 1962 the WHO and FAO created an international commission, the Codex Alimentarius, which is composed of authorities, food industry associations and consumer groups from all over the world.
[54][55] Concerns were expressed again in 2011 that food colorings may cause ADHD-like behavior in children;[54] a 2015 literature review found the evidence inconclusive.
[26] Food and drink products containing any of the six designated colors must warn consumers on the package labels, stating May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.
[54][57] However, in 2009, the European Food Safety Authority re-evaluated the data at hand and determined that "the available scientific evidence does not substantiate a link between the color additives and behavioral effects" for any of the dyes.
[59][60][61] In 2016, EFSA updated its safety assessment of titanium dioxide (E 171), concluding that it can no longer be considered safe as a food additive.
