Food coloring, or color additive, is any dye, pigment or substance that imparts color when it is added

to food or drink. They come in many forms consisting of liquids, powders, gels and pastes. Food coloring

is used both in commercial food production and in domestic cooking. Due to its safety and general

availability, food coloring is also used in a variety of non-food applications including cosmetics,

pharmaceuticals, home craft projects and medical devices.

People associate certain colors with certain flavors, and the color of food can influence the perceived

flavor in anything from candy to wine. Sometimes the aim is to simulate a color that is perceived by the consumer as natural, such as adding red coloring to glacé cherries (which would otherwise be beige), but sometimes it is for effect, like the green ketchup that Heinz launched in 1999. Color additives are used in foods for many reasons including:

offset color loss due to exposure to light, air, temperature extremes, moisture and storage conditions

correct natural variations in color

enhance colors that occur naturally

provide color to colorless and "fun" foods

Color additives are recognized as an important part of many foods we eat

Annatto, sometimes called roucou or achiote, is derived from the seeds of the achiote trees of tropical and subtropical regions around the world. The seeds are sourced to produce a carotenoid-based yellow to orange food coloring and flavor. Its scent is described as "slightly peppery with a hint of nutmeg" and flavor as "slightly nutty, sweet and peppery".[1]

Annatto is commonly used in Latin American and Caribbean cuisines as both a coloring and flavoring agent. Central and South American natives use the seeds to make body paint and lipstick. For this reason, the achiote is sometimes called the "lipstick-tree". Achiote originated in South America and has spread in popularity to many parts of Asia. It is also grown in other tropical or subtropical regions of the world, including Central America, Africa and Asia. The heart-shaped fruit are brown or reddish brown at maturity, and are covered with short, stiff hairs. When fully mature, the fruit splits open, exposing the numerous dark red seeds. The fruit itself is not edible, however the orange-red pulp that covers the seed is used to produce a yellow to orange food coloring. Achiote dye is prepared by grinding seeds or simmering the seeds in water or oil.

Using annatto for color has been a traditional characteristic of Gloucester cheese since the 16th century

when producers of inferior cheese used a coloring agent to replicate the orange hue achieved by the best

cheesemakers. During the summer months the high levels of carotene in the grass would have given the

milk an orangey color which was carried through into the cheese. This orange hue was regarded as an

indicator of the best cheese and that is why the custom of adding annatto spread to other parts of the UK,

with Cheshire and Red Leicester cheese, as well as colored cheddar made in Scotland, all using this

natural dye.[11]

The fat soluble color in the crude extract is called bixin, which can then be saponified into water soluble norbixin. Annatto seed contains 4.5-5.5% pigments, which consists of 70-80% bixin.[16] The yellow to orange color is produced by the chemical compounds bixin and norbixin, which are classified as carotenoids. However, unlike beta-carotene, another well-known carotenoid, annatto based pigments are not vitamin A precursors.[17] The more norbixin in an annatto color, the more yellow it is; a higher level of bixin gives it a more orange shade.

Annatto is a rich source of tocotrienols, antioxidants that are similar in structure and function to vitamin E The tocotrienols from annatto and other sources like palm oil and rice bran are the subject of current nutritional and medical research since these compounds are thought to prevent cancer due to their anti-

angiogenic effect.[19]

In developing countries, particularly in Colombia, people with low income and less access to modern

medicine resources use folk medicine and natural remedies for the treatment of common infections.

Achiote is also among those herbs used in Colombian folk medicine to treat infections of microbial origin.[20] In addition to the known health benefits exerted by carotenoids, a bioactivesesquiterpene from achiote

exhibited moderate anti-fungal activity.[21] Norbixin isomers are responsible for the antimicrobial activity

specific for Gram positive bacteria found in annatto extracts.[22][23]

Annatto is safe for most people when used in food amounts; however, it can cause rare allergic reactions

for those who are sensitive.[24][25] Annatto has been linked to few cases of food-related allergies, but it is

not one of the "Big Eight" allergens (cow's milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat)

which are responsible for more than 90% of allergic food reactions.[26] TheFood and Drug

Administration and experts at the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program (FARRP) at the

University of Nebraska do not, at present, consider annatto to be a major food allergen.[27]

Natural food colors such as annatto extract have not been extensively investigated with respect to

potential allergenic properties. In one 1978 study among 61 consecutive patients suffering from chronic

hives and/or angioedema, 56 patients were orally provoked by annatto extract during an elimination diet.

A challenge was performed with a dose equivalent to the amount used in 25 grams (0.88 oz) of butter.

Twenty six per cent of the patients reacted to this color four hours after intake, worse than amaranth (9%)

or synthetic dyes such as tartrazine (11%), Sunset Yellow FCF(17%), Food Red 17 (16%), Ponceau

4R (15%), erythrosine (12%) and Brilliant Blue FCF (14%).[28]

Betanin, or Beetroot Red, is a red glycosidic food dye obtained from beets; its aglycone, obtained by

hydrolyzing away the glucose molecule, is betanidin. As a food additive, its E number is E162. Betanin

degrades when subjected to light, heat, and oxygen; therefore, it is used in frozen products, products with

short shelf life, or products sold in dry state.[1] Betanin can survive pasteurization when in products with

high sugar content. Its sensitivity to oxygen is highest in products with high content of water and/or

containing metal cations (e.g. iron and copper); antioxidants likeascorbic acid and sequestrants can slow

this process down, together with suitable packaging. In dry form betanin is stable in presence of oxygen.

Betanin is usually obtained from the extract of beet juice; the concentration of betanin in red beet can

reach 300–600 mg/kg. Other dietary sources of betanin and other betalains include the opuntia cactus,

Swiss chard, and the leaves of some strains of amaranth.

The color of betanin depends on pH; between four and five it is bright bluish-red, becoming blue-violet as

the pH increases. Once the pH reaches alkaline levels betanin degrades by hydrolysis, resulting in a

yellow-brown color.

Betanin can be also used for coloring meat and sausages.

The most common uses of betanin are in coloring ice cream and powdered soft drink beverages; other

uses are in some sugar confectionery, e.g.fondants, sugar strands, sugar coatings, and fruit or cream

fillings. In hot processed candies, it can be used if added at the final part of the processing. Betanin is

also used in soups as well as tomato and bacon products. Betanin has nearly no potential as allergen.[2]

Betanin absorbs well from the gut and acts as an antioxidant.

Betanin is a betalain pigment, together with isobetanin, probetanin, and neobetanin. Other pigments

contained in beet are indicaxanthin andvulgaxanthins.

Organic Beet Root Juice Powder is a unique source of phytonutrients, called betalains, which have a powerful effect on full-spectrum health. These phytonutrients are what give our Organic Beet Root Juice Powder its dark, magenta color and they are a potent source of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, and substances that promote full body detoxification. Two of these phytonutrients, betanin and vulgaxanthin, stand out as vital compounds, helping the body to protect itself against damage from free radicals. These two super nutrients aid in removing harmful toxins that enter the body through our air, water, and food.

Due to the commercial value of carotenoids, their biosynthesis has been studied extensively in

both natural producers, and non-natural (heterologous) systems such as the bacteria Escherichia

coli and yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Canthanaxanthin biosynthesis proceeds from beta-

carotene via the action of a single protein, known as a beta-carotene ketolase, that is able to add a

carbonyl group (oxygen with a double bond (=O)) to carbon 4 and 4' of the beta carotene

molecule. Although functionally identical, several distinct beta-carotene ketolase proteins are

known. That is to say they differ from an evolutionary perspective in their primary amino

acid/protein sequence. They are different proteins that complete the same function. Thus,

bacterial (CrtW) and micro-algal beta-carotene ketolase proteins such as BKT isolated

from Haematococcus pluvialis[8] ) are known. Due to the nature of canthaxanthin, relative

to astaxanthin (a carotenoid of significant commercial value) these beta-carotene ketolase

proteins have been studied extensively.[9][10] An E. coli based production system has been

developed, that achieved canthaxnthin production at 170 mg/L in lab scale fermentation [11]

[edit]

When ingested for the purpose of simulating a tan, its deposition in the panniculus imparts a golden

orange hue to the skin.[13]:860

In the late 1980s, the safety of canthaxanthin as a feed and a food additive was drawn into question as a

result of a completely un-related use of the same carotenoid. A reversible deposition of canthaxanthin

crystals was discovered in the retina of a limited number of people who had consumed very high amounts

of canthaxanthin via sun-tanning pills – after stopping the pills, the deposits disappeared and the health of

those people affected was fully recovered. However, the level of canthaxanthin intake in the affected

individuals was many times greater than that which could ever be consumed via poultry products - to

reach a similar intake, an individual would have to eat daily more than 50 eggs produced by layers fed

practical levels of canthaxanthin in their diets. Although this incidence was totally unrelated and very

different to the feed or food use of canthaxanthin, as a link had been drawn between canthaxanthin and

human health, it was important that the use of canthaxanthin as a feed and food additive should be

reviewed in detail by the relevant authorities, both in the EU and at an international level. The first stage

of this review process was completed in 1995 with the publication by Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee

on Food Additives (JECFA) of an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for canthaxanthin of 0.03 mg/kg

bodyweight. The work of JECFA was subsequently reviewed and accepted within the EU by the SCF (EU

Scientific Committee for Food) in 1997. The conclusion of both these committees was that canthaxanthin

is safe for humans. Recently (2010), the EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient sources added to

food (ANS) published a revised version of the safety assessment of Canthaxanthin, reconfirming the

already set ADI. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has no "tanning pills" approved for sale in the

United States. In spite of this, there are companies that continue to market such products, some of which

contain canthaxanthin. The FDA considers such items "adulterated cosmetics" and as a result sent

"Warning Letters" to the firms citing such products as containing "a color additive that is unsafe within the

meaning of section 721(a) of the FD&C Act (FD&C Act, sec. 601(e))."[14]

According to the FDA,[15]

Tanning pills have been associated with health problems, including an eye disorder called

canthaxanthin retinopathy, which is the formation of yellow deposits on the eye's retina.

Canthaxanthin has also been reported to cause liver injury and a severe itching condition

called urticaria, according to the AAD

Canthaxanthin is a dye that is similar to the chemical that makes carrots orange. It occurs naturally and can also be made in a laboratory. People use it as medicine.

Canthaxanthin is used to reduce sensitivity to sunlight (photosensitivity) experienced by people who have a rare genetic disease called erythropoietic protoporphyria(EPP). In these people, sunlight can cause skin reactions such as rash, itch, andeczema. Canthaxanthin is also used to reduce sun sensitivity caused by certainmedications. Some people also try it for relieving itching caused by sun exposure.

Orobronze (canthaxanthin) is sold in Canada as a nonprescription “tanning pill.” In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved tanning pills containing canthaxanthin. Nevertheless, these products seem to be readily available to people in the U.S. through mail order and tanning salons.

In foods, canthaxanthin is used as food coloring and is added to animal feed to improve the color of chicken skins, egg yolks, salmon, and trout.

In manufacturing, canthaxanthin is used in cosmetics and in medications.

How does it work?Canthaxanthin is a dye similar to the carotenes in vegetables such as carrots. It deposits in the skin to produce an artificial “tan.” It might protect against sun sensitivity through antioxidant activity.