| Number |
Name |
Comments |
| E100# | Cur cumin |
orange-yellow colour; derived from the root of the curcuma (turmeric) plant, but can be artificially produced; used in cheese, margarine, baked sweets and fish fingers |
| E101# | Riboflavin, Riboflavin-5′-phosphate |
‘Vitamin B2’ and colour; occurs naturally in greenveges, eggs, milk, liver and kidney; used in margarine and cheese |
| E102 | Tartrazine |
FD&C Yellow No.5; known to provoke asthma attacks (though the US FDA** do not recognise this) and urticaria (nettle rash) in children (the US FDA** estimates 1:10 000); also linked to thyroid tumours, chromosomal damage, urticaria (hives) and hyperactivity; tartrazine sensitivity is also linked to aspirin sensitivity; used to colour drinks, sweets, jams, cereals, snack foods, canned fish, packaged soups; banned in Norway and Austria |
| E104 | Quinoline Yellow |
FD&C Yellow No.10; used in lipsticks hair products, colognes; also in a wide range of medications; cause dermatitis; banned in USA and Norway |
| E107 | Yellow 7G |
yellow colour; the HACSG* recommends to avoid it; people who suffer Asthma may also show an allergic reaction to it; typical products are soft drinks; banned in Australia and USA |
| E110# | Sunset Yellow FCF, Orange Yellow S |
FD&C Yellow No.6; used in cereals, bakery, sweets, snack foods, ice cream, drinks and canned fish; synthetic; also in many medications including Polaramine, Ventolin syrup; side effects are urticaria (hives), rhinitis (runny nose), nasal congestion, allergies, hyperactivity, kidney tumours, chromosomal damage, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, indigestion, distaste for food; seen increased incidence of tumours in animals; banned in Norway |
| E120# | Cochineal, Carminic acid, Carmines |
red colour; made from insects; rarely used; the HASCG* recommends to avoid it |
| E122 | Azorubine, Carmoisine |
red colour; coal tar derivative; can produce bad reactions in asthmatics and people allergic to aspirin; typical products are confectionary, marzipan, jelly crystals; banned in Sweden, USA, Austria and Norway |
| E123 | Amaranth |
FD&C Red No.2; derived from the small herbaceous plant of the same name; used in cake mixes, fruit-flavoured fillings, jelly crystals; can provoke asthma, eczema and hyperactivity; it caused birth defects and foetal deaths in some animal tests, possibly also cancer; banned in the USA, Russia, Austria and Norway and other countries |
| E124 | Ponceau 4R, Cochineal Red A |
FD&C Red No.4; synthetic coal tar and azo dye, carcinogen in animals, can produce bad reactions in asthmatics and people allergic to aspirin; banned in USA & Norway |
| E127 | Erythrosine |
FD&C Red No.3; red colour used in cherries, canned fruit, custard mix, sweets, bakery, snack foods; can cause sensitivity to light; can increase thyroid hormone levels and lead to hyperthyroidism, was shown to cause thyroid cancer in rats in a study in 1990; banned in January 1990, but not recalled by the US FDA**; banned in Norway |
| E128 | Red 2G | Banned in Australia and many other places except UK |
| E129 | Allura red AC |
FD&C Red No.40; Orange-red colour used in sweets, drinks and condiments, medications and cosmetics, synthetic; introduced in the early eighties to replace amaranth which was considered not safe due to conflicting test results; allura red has also been connected with cancer in mice; banned in Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria and Norway |
| E131 | Patent blue V |
Banned in Australia, USA and Norway |
| E132# | Indigotine, Indigo carmine |
FD&C Blue No.2, commonly added to tablets and capsules; also used in ice cream, sweets, baked goods, confectionary, biscuits, synthetic coal tar derivative; may cause nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure, skin rashes, breathing problems and other allergic reactions. Banned in Norway |
| E133 | Brilliant blue FCF |
FD&C Blue Dye No.1; used in dairy products, sweets and drinks, synthetic usually occurring as aluminium lake (solution) or ammonium salt; banned in Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Norway |
| E140 | Chlorophylis, Chlorophyllins |
green colour occurs naturally in all plants; used for dyeing waxes and oils, used in medicines and cosmetics |
| E141 | Copper complexes of chloropyll and chlorophyllins |
olive colour, no adverse effects are known |
| E142 | Green S |
green colour; synthetic coal tar derivative; used in canned peas, mint jelly and sauce, packet bread crumbs and cake mixes; banned inSweden, USA and Norway |
| E150(a) | Plain caramel |
dark brown colour made from sucrose; the HACSG* recommends to avoid it. used in oyster, soy, fruit and canned sauces, beer, whiskey, biscuits, pickles |
| E150(b) | Caustic sulphite caramel |
see E150(a) |
| E150(c) | Ammonia caramel |
see E150(a) |
| E150(d) | Sulphite ammonia caramel |
see E150(a) |
| E151 | Brilliant Black BN, Black PN |
coloor; coal tar derivative; used in brown sauces, blackcurrant cake mixes; banned in Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, USA, Norway |
| E153# | Vegetable carbon |
black colour, charcoal pigment; used in jams, jelly crystals, liquorice; only the vegetable derived variety permitted in Australia, banned in the United States |
| E154 | Brown FK |
banned in USA |
| E155 | Brown HT (Chocolate) |
brown colour, coal tar and azo dye; used in chocolate cake mixes; can produce bad reactions in asthmatics and people allergic to aspirin; also known to induce skin sensitivity; banned in Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, USA, Norway |
| E160(a)# | Carotene, alpha-, beta-, gamma- |
orange-yellow colour; human body converts it to ‘Vitamin A’ in the liver, found in carrots and other yellow or orange fruits and vegetables |
| E160(b)# | Annatto (Arnatto, Annato), bixin, norbixin |
red colour; derived from a tree (Bixa orellana); used as a body paint, fabric dye, digestive aid and expectorant; used to dye cheese, butter, margarine, cereals, snack foods, soaps, textiles and varnishes; known to cause urticaria (nettle rash), the HACSG* recommends to avoid it |
| E160(c)# | Paprika extract, capsanthin, capsorubin |
avoid it, banned in some countries |
| E160(d)# | Lycopene |
red coloured carotenoid found in tomatoes and pink grapefruit, can cause decreasing risk of cancer |
| E160(e)# | Beta-apo-8′-carotenal (C 30) |
orange colour, no adverse effects are known |
| E160(f)# | Ethyl ester of beta-apo-8′-carotenic acid (C 30) |
orange colour, no adverse effects are known |
| E161(b) | Xanthophylls – Lutein |
yellow colour derived from plants, naturally found in green leaves, marigolds and egg yolks |
| E161(g)# | Xanthophylls – Canthaxanthin |
yellow colour possibly derived from animal sources (retinol); the pigment is found in some mushrooms, crustacea, fish, flamingo feathers |
| E162 | Beetroot Red, Betanin |
purple colour derived from beets; no adverse effects are known |
| E163 | Anthocyanins |
violet colour matter of flowers and plants; seems safe |
| E170# | Calcium carbonate |
mineral salt, used in toothpastes, white paint and cleaning powders; may be derived from rock mineral or animal bones; sometimes used to deacidify wines and firm canned fruit and veg.; toxic at ‘high doses’ |
| E171 | Titanium dioxide |
white colour used in toothpaste and white paint, pollutes waterways; no adverse effects are known |
| E172 | Iron oxides and hydroxides |
black, yellow, red colour used in salmon and shrimp pastes; toxic at ‘high doses’ |
| E173 | Aluminium |
avoid it, banned in some countries |
| E174 | Silver | avoid it, banned in some countries |
| E175 | Gold | avoid it, banned in some countries |
| E180 | Latolrubine BK |
avoid it, banned in some countries |
| E181 | Tannic acid, tannins |
clarifying agent in alcohol; derived from the nutgalls and twigs of oak trees; occurs naturally in tea |
E100 – E181
