Food additives

e150 Caramel

Food additives in the category of synthetic colorants. They give a color from brown to black and they are allowed in any type of food. They can be found in some counterfit soy sauces, where, if the presence…

details

e151 Brilliant Black Pn

Food additive in the category of synthetic azo colorants. It gives a black color and it is allowed to be used in any type of food. It comes in a powder form or granules, being soluble in water.…

details

e153 Vegetable Carbon

Food additive in the category of natural colorants. It gives a black color and it is allowed to be used in any type of food, except for those meant for infants and young children, according to the quantities…

details

e155 Brown Ht

Food additive in the category of synthetic azo colorants. It gives a brown color and it is allowed to be used in a wide range of products, such as: alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, preserved fruit and vegetable products,…

details

e160a Carotenes

Food additives in the category of natural colorants, obtained from carrots. They are insoluble in water and their color range varries from yellow to orange, depending on the solvent used in the extraction. It is allowed to be…

details

e160c Paprika Extract, Capsanthin, Capsorubin

Food additive in the category of natural colorants, obtained from red pepper – Capsicum annuum. It gives a dark red color, being used for both its function as a colorant and that of flavoring, according to the quantities…

details

e160d Lycopene

Food additive in the category of natural colorants, obtained from tomatoes, but it can be chemically synthesized. It gives a dark red color, being used for both its function as a colorant and that of flavoring, according to…

details

e160e Beta-Apo-8′-Carotenal (C 30)

Food additive in the category of natural colorants, obtained from carotene or isolated from plants. It is only soluble in oil and it gives a dark red color, being able to be used in all food groups, according…

details

e161b Lutein

Food additive in the category of natural colorants, obtained from grass species, nettles and marigold flowers. It is easily soluble in water, it gives a yellow color and it can be used in all food types, according to…

details

e161g Canthaxanthin

Food additive in the category of natural colorants. This substance is present in a lot of plants and in the feathers of some birds. For commercial use it is obtained from catharelles (mushrooms) or flamingo feathers. Synthetically it…

details

e162 Beetroot Red, Betanin

Food additive in the category of natural colorants, obtained from red beetroot. Is is widely used, according to the requirements on the recipe, but the color is quite unstable. It is excreted in the urine, in an unchanged…

details

e163 Anthocyanins

Anthocyanins and anthocyanidins represent a wide group of natural colorants. The color of most fruits, flowers and forest fruits is the result of some combination of anthocyanins and anthocyanidins. The individual compounds are isolated from different plant species…

details

According to the World Health Organization, substances that are added to food in order to maintain or improve its safety, freshness, taste, texture or appearance are known as food additives.

These food additives have been used for centuries to preserve food. For example salt (in meat, bacon or dried fish), sugar (in
marmalade) or sulphur dioxide (in wine).

Food additives can be derived from plants, animals or minerals or they can be synthetic. They are intentionally added to foods, to fulfil certain technological purposes. There are several thousand food additives in use, all of which are designed to perform a specific task, usually to make food more durable
or appealing.