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Ramos-Souza C, Bandoni DH, Bragotto APA, De Rosso VV. Risk assessment of azo dyes as food additives: Revision and discussion of data gaps toward their improvement. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf 2023; 22:380-407. [PMID: 36374221 DOI: 10.1111/1541-4337.13072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The food industry uses dyes mainly to overcome color loss during the processing and storage of products, with the azo dyes currently being the most employed. Studies on the safety of using these dyes in foods started in the 1950s and have indicated the potential for concern. This review discusses the risk assessment of food intake containing artificial azo dyes. There are case reports and, subsequently, double-blind placebo-controlled trials in some individuals who may experience adverse effects from the intake of azo dyes, but it is unclear whether these adverse effects are restricted to specific populations or more generalized. In view of this, different toxicological endpoints are evaluated to verify toxic effects in in vitro and in vivo models and to establish the no observed adverse effect level. Exposure estimation studies have shown that human exposure to azo dyes via oral intake is mainly below the acceptable daily intake established by advisory bodies. However, most countries do not have studies that estimate the oral intake of azo dyes. In this case, local food diversity and racial-ethnic specificities are not considered when stating the exposure estimate is below the acceptable daily intake for the human population and thus may not represent actual intake. Concerning the scenario established above, this review discusses the most critical gaps to be overcome to contribute to the direction of future studies and the development of more effective public policies concerning the safety of the intake of artificial azo dyes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Ramos-Souza
- Nutrition and Food Service Research Center, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Santos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Daniel Henrique Bandoni
- Nutrition and Food Service Research Center, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Santos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Veridiana Vera De Rosso
- Nutrition and Food Service Research Center, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Santos, São Paulo, Brazil
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Rahnama H, Mazloomi SM, Berizi E, Abbasi A, Gholami Z. Identification of Tartrazine adulteration and evaluating exposure to synthetic dyes of sunset yellow and Quinoline yellow through consumption of food products among children. Food Sci Nutr 2022; 10:3781-3788. [PMID: 36348810 PMCID: PMC9632219 DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.2975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 09/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Excessive consumption of synthetic food dyes by children may raise concerns about their health. These dyes may aggravate the hyperactivity symptoms and exacerbate asthma in sensitive children. The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of sunset yellow and quinoline yellow dyes, as well as tartrazine in dairy-free fruit ice cream, freeze pop, jelly, and candy. Additionally, we evaluated the amount of two food dyes consumed by children. To do so, a total of 150 food samples, including 20 dairy-free fruit ice creams, 25 freeze pops, 57 jelly products, and 48 types of candy were randomly selected from stores in Shiraz, Iran. Then, using the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method and an ultraviolet (UV) detector, we measured the amounts of sunset yellow and quinoline yellow dyes and identified the use of tartrazine. Also, the per capita consumption (grams per day) of the mentioned foods was calculated using a checklist in two groups of male and female primary schoolchildren aged 6-9 years and 10-13 years in Shiraz, Iran. According to the results, 11 (7.33%) samples contained only tartrazine and 107 (71.33%) samples contained quinoline yellow and sunset yellow synthetic dyes. In addition, of 107 samples that used quinoline yellow and sunset yellow, 102 (95.33%) contained unauthorized tartrazine. Only seven (6.54%) samples contained exceedingly high concentrations of authorized quinoline yellow and sunset yellow synthetic dyes. However, the exposure assessment showed that the intake of quinoline yellow and sunset yellow was at average levels and the 95th percentile in both age groups was less than the associated acceptable daily intake (ADI). For synthetic dyes, the target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) were less than one, indicating that ingestion of these two dyes via food products does not pose a risk to children's overall health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannaneh Rahnama
- Nutrition Research Center, Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, School of Nutrition and Food SciencesShiraz University of Medical SciencesShirazIran
| | - Seyed Mohammad Mazloomi
- Nutrition Research Center, Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, School of Nutrition and Food SciencesShiraz University of Medical SciencesShirazIran
| | - Enayat Berizi
- Nutrition Research Center, Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, School of Nutrition and Food SciencesShiraz University of Medical SciencesShirazIran
| | - Azam Abbasi
- Nutrition Research Center, Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, School of Nutrition and Food SciencesShiraz University of Medical SciencesShirazIran
| | - Zahra Gholami
- Food Control Laboratory, Department of Food and DrugShiraz University of Medical ScienceShirazIran
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3
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Voltammetric Behaviour of Rhodamine B at a Screen-Printed Carbon Electrode and Its Trace Determination in Environmental Water Samples. SENSORS 2022; 22:s22124631. [PMID: 35746412 PMCID: PMC9230127 DOI: 10.3390/s22124631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
The voltammetric behaviour of Rhodamine B was studied at a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE), by cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry. Cyclic voltammograms exhibited two reduction peaks (designated R1 and R2) generated from the reduction of the parent compound through, first, one electron reduction (R1) to give a radical species, and then a further one-electron, one-proton reduction to give a neutral molecule (R2). On the reverse positive-going scan, two oxidation peaks were observed. The first, O1, resulted from the oxidation of the species generated at R2, and the second, O2, through the one-electron oxidation of the amine group. The nature of the redox reactions was further investigated by observing the effect of scan rate and pH on the voltammetric behaviour. The developed SPCE method was evaluated by carrying out Rhodamine B determinations on a spiked and unspiked environmental water sample. A mean recovery of 94.3% with an associated coefficient of variation of 2.9% was obtained. The performance characteristics indicated that reliable data may be obtained for Rhodamine B measurements in environmental water samples using this approach.
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Abdelghani JI, Al‐Degs YS, Issa AA. Rapid and reliable chromatograhic method to monitor coloring agents in highly consumed beverages. J FOOD PROCESS PRES 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/jfpp.14431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ayman A. Issa
- Department of Chemistry The Hashemite University Zarqa Jordan
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Tran NL, Barraj LM, Hearty AP, Jack MM. Tiered intake assessment for food colours. Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess 2020; 37:1118-1134. [DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2020.1736341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nga L Tran
- Chemical Regulation and Food Safety, Exponent Inc, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Leila M Barraj
- Chemical Regulation and Food Safety, Exponent Inc, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Aine P Hearty
- Chemical Regulation and Food Safety, Exponent Inc, Harrogate, UK
| | - Maia M. Jack
- Science and Regulatory Affairs, American Beverage Association, Washington, DC, USA
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Abdelghani JI, Al-Degs YS, El-Sheikh AH, Fasfous II, Al-Asafrah AA. Quick monitoring of coloring agents in highly consumed candies using multivariate calibration. ARAB J CHEM 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.arabjc.2019.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
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Gupta R, Ranjan S, Yadav A, Verma B, Malhotra K, Madan M, Chopra O, Jain S, Gupta S, Joshi A, Bhasin C, Mudgal P. Toxic Effects of Food Colorants Erythrosine and Tartrazine on Zebrafish Embryo Development. CURRENT RESEARCH IN NUTRITION AND FOOD SCIENCE 2019. [DOI: 10.12944/crnfsj.7.3.26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Erythrosine and tartrazine are common artificial food additives which have become a part of daily human consumption. Advised daily intake values for these agents are set strictly, however, the actual intake is much higher than the recommended ADI. A higher intake of erythrosine and tartrazine is shown to exhibit adverse effects in mammalian models, and is thus a matter of public health concern. In this study we have assessed and compared the dose-dependent effects of erythrosine and tartrazine on inducing oxidative stress in zebrafish embryos. We performed the superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activity assay to test the effect of the two food colorants on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Erythrosine and tartrazine treated embryos showed significantly increased SOD activity in an enzyme assay. Additionally SOD mRNA transcripts in the treated embryos were found to be upregulated. Erythrosine and tartrazine treatment specifically altered SOD1 mRNA transcript levels while it had no effect on SOD2 mRNA, the other isoform found in zebrafish. Our study shows that erythrosine at a concentration of 0.05% is embryotoxic in a dose and time dependent manner. Tartrazine treated embryos exhibit similar toxicity at a concentration of 0.5%. Erythrosine treated zebrafish embryos hatch much slower when compared to tartrazine treated embryos and control embryos. While erythrosine affects the yolk utilization, tartrazine exhibits teratogenic effects on early zebrafish embryos. The mRNA expression as well as biochemical analysis indicates that exposure to food colorants induces cytoplasmic SOD transcription to combat the ROS toxicity in zebrafish embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radhika Gupta
- Department of Biochemistry, Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
| | | | - Aanchal Yadav
- Department of Biochemistry, Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
| | - Bhawana Verma
- Department of Biochemistry, Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
| | - Kangana Malhotra
- Department of Biochemistry, Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
| | - Mahima Madan
- Department of Biochemistry, Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
| | - Ojasvi Chopra
- Department of Biochemistry, Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
| | - Shefali Jain
- Department of Biochemistry, Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
| | - Sonali Gupta
- Department of Biochemistry, Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
| | | | - Chitra Bhasin
- Department of Zoology, Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
| | - Padmshree Mudgal
- Department of Biochemistry, Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
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Reza MSA, Hasan MM, Kamruzzaman M, Hossain MI, Zubair MA, Bari L, Abedin MZ, Reza MA, Khalid‐Bin‐Ferdaus KM, Haque KMF, Islam K, Ahmed MU, Hossain MK. Study of a common azo food dye in mice model: Toxicity reports and its relation to carcinogenicity. Food Sci Nutr 2019; 7:667-677. [PMID: 30847145 PMCID: PMC6392843 DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Revised: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
This study was conducted to evaluate the toxic effects of an azo dye carmoisine widely used in foods and to investigate its relation to carcinogenicity. Carmoisine administered into mice orally in four different doses as control, low, medium, and high equivalent to 0, 4, 200, and 400 mg/kg bw, respectively, for 120 days. The key toxicological endpoint was observed including animal body weight, organ weights, hematology, biochemistry, and molecular biology assessment. The body weights of medium- and high-dose carmoisine-treated mice group were significantly decreased as compared to the control mice group. Platelet, white blood cell and monocyte counts of treated group were considerably higher, while Hb and red blood cell counts were drastically lower than the control group. The biochemical parameters such as serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total protein, globulin, urea, and creatinine level were significantly increased, while serum cholesterol level was decreased after treatment as compared to the control. RT-PCR results showed that expression of Bcl-x and PARP gene was intensively increased, whereas expression of p53 gene was decreased in the mouse liver tissues treated with carmoisine. This study revealed that high-dose (400 mg/kg bw) treatment of carmoisine was attributable to renal failure and hepatotoxicity. It also would be suspected as a culprit for liver oncogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md. Sajib Al Reza
- Department of Food Technology and Nutritional ScienceFaculty of Life ScienceMawlana Bhashani Science and Technology UniversityTangailBangladesh
| | - Md. Mahmudul Hasan
- Department of Food Technology and Nutritional ScienceFaculty of Life ScienceMawlana Bhashani Science and Technology UniversityTangailBangladesh
| | - Md. Kamruzzaman
- Protein Science LabDepartment of Genetic Engineering and BiotechnologyFaculty of ScienceUniversity of RajshahiRajshahiBangladesh
| | - Md. Imam Hossain
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic EngineeringFaculty of Life ScienceMawlana Bhashani Science and Technology UniversityTangailBangladesh
| | - Md. Abu Zubair
- Department of Food Technology and Nutritional ScienceFaculty of Life ScienceMawlana Bhashani Science and Technology UniversityTangailBangladesh
| | - Luthfunnesa Bari
- Department of Food Technology and Nutritional ScienceFaculty of Life ScienceMawlana Bhashani Science and Technology UniversityTangailBangladesh
| | - Md. Zainul Abedin
- Department of Food Technology and Nutritional ScienceFaculty of Life ScienceMawlana Bhashani Science and Technology UniversityTangailBangladesh
| | - Md. Abu Reza
- Protein Science LabDepartment of Genetic Engineering and BiotechnologyFaculty of ScienceUniversity of RajshahiRajshahiBangladesh
| | - Khandaker Md. Khalid‐Bin‐Ferdaus
- Protein Science LabDepartment of Genetic Engineering and BiotechnologyFaculty of ScienceUniversity of RajshahiRajshahiBangladesh
| | - Kazi Md. Faisal Haque
- Protein Science LabDepartment of Genetic Engineering and BiotechnologyFaculty of ScienceUniversity of RajshahiRajshahiBangladesh
| | - Khairul Islam
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyFaculty of Life ScienceMawlana Bhashani Science and Technology UniversityTangailBangladesh
| | - Mahtab Uddin Ahmed
- Biochemistry & Cell Biology LabBangladesh University of Health SciencesDhakaBangladesh
| | - Md. Khaled Hossain
- Department of Biochemistry and molecular biologyFaculty of ScienceUniversity of RajshahiRajshahiBangladesh
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Bhatt D, Vyas K, Singh S, John P, Soni I. Tartrazine induced neurobiochemical alterations in rat brain sub-regions. Food Chem Toxicol 2018; 113:322-327. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2018.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Revised: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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10
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Sjöstedt N, Deng F, Rauvala O, Tepponen T, Kidron H. Interaction of Food Additives with Intestinal Efflux Transporters. Mol Pharm 2017; 14:3824-3833. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.7b00563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Noora Sjöstedt
- Division of Pharmaceutical
Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 56, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Feng Deng
- Division of Pharmaceutical
Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 56, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Oskari Rauvala
- Division of Pharmaceutical
Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 56, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tuomas Tepponen
- Division of Pharmaceutical
Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 56, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Heidi Kidron
- Division of Pharmaceutical
Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 56, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
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Doell DL, Folmer DE, Lee HS, Butts KM, Carberry SE. Exposure estimate for FD&C colour additives for the US population. Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess 2016; 33:782-97. [PMID: 27092991 DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2016.1179536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Dietary exposures to the seven food, drug, and cosmetic (FD&C) colour additives that are approved for general use in food in the United States were estimated for the US population (aged 2 years and older), children (aged 2-5 years) and teenage boys (aged 13-18 years) based on analytical levels of the FD&C colour additives in foods. Approximately 600 foods were chosen for analysis, based on a survey of product labels, for the levels of FD&C colour additives. Dietary exposure was estimated using both 2-day food consumption data from the combined 2007-10 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and 10-14-day food consumption data from the 2007-10 NPD Group, Inc. National Eating Trends - Nutrient Intake Database (NPD NET-NID). Dietary exposure was estimated at the mean and 90th percentile using three different exposure scenarios: low exposure, average exposure and high exposure, to account for the range in the amount of each FD&C colour additive for a given food. For all populations and all exposure scenarios, the highest cumulative eaters-only exposures in food were determined for FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5 and FD&C Yellow No. 6. In addition, the eaters-only exposure was estimated for individual food categories in order to determine which food categories contributed the most to the exposure for each FD&C colour additive. Breakfast Cereal, Juice Drinks, Soft Drinks, and Frozen Dairy Desserts/Sherbet (also referred to as Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt, Sherbet (including Bars, Sticks, Sandwiches)) were the major contributing food categories to exposure for multiple FD&C colour additives for all three populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana L Doell
- a Office of Food Additive Safety , Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) , College Park , MD , USA
| | - Daniel E Folmer
- a Office of Food Additive Safety , Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) , College Park , MD , USA
| | - Hyoung S Lee
- a Office of Food Additive Safety , Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) , College Park , MD , USA
| | - Kyla M Butts
- a Office of Food Additive Safety , Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) , College Park , MD , USA
| | - Susan E Carberry
- a Office of Food Additive Safety , Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) , College Park , MD , USA
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Jain A, Mathur P. Estimation of Food Additive Intake—Overview of the Methodology. FOOD REVIEWS INTERNATIONAL 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/87559129.2015.1022830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Dixit S, Khanna SK, Das M. All India survey for analyses of colors in sweets and savories: exposure risk in Indian population. J Food Sci 2013; 78:T642-7. [PMID: 23464814 DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.12068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2012] [Accepted: 01/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, an attempt has been made to understand the exposure assessment of food colors through 2 major groups, sweets and savories, at a national level so as to evolve a scientific yardstick to fix levels of colors in commodities based on technological and safety requirement. A vast majority of colored food commodities (83.6%) were found to employ permitted colors and confirmed a marked decline in the trend of use of nonpermitted colors (NPCs). Of the 4 zones of India, East zone showed the maximum adulteration (80.3%) both by exceeding the prescribed limits of permitted colors (72.3%) and the use of NPCs (28.7%). Tartrazine was the most popular color among the permitted list, which ranged from 12.5 to 1091 mg/kg. Rhodamine B was the most prevalent dye in the NPCs group. On the basis of average consumption of food commodities and average levels of detected colors, the intake of Sunset Yellow FCF saturates the acceptable daily intake limit to a maximum of 47.8% in children, which is a cause of concern. The uniform maximum permissible limit of synthetic colors at 100 mg/kg under the Indian rules thus needs to be reviewed and should rather be governed by the technological necessity and the consumption profiles of food commodities so that the vulnerable population should not unnecessary be exposed to excessive amounts of synthetic colors to pose health risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumita Dixit
- Food, Drugs and Chemical Toxicology Group, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow, UP, India
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Dixit S, Purshottam SK, Khanna SK, Das M. Usage pattern of synthetic food colours in different states of India and exposure assessment through commodities preferentially consumed by children. Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess 2011; 28:996-1005. [PMID: 21790487 DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2011.580011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Exposure studies in children are emphasized nowadays given children's higher consumption vulnerability. The present study generated national-level data covering 16 major states of India on the usage pattern of colours and it identified food commodities through which a particular colour has the scope to exceed ADI limits. Out of the total analysed samples, 87.8% contained permitted colours, of which only 48% adhered to the prescribed limit of 100 mg kg(-1). The majority of candyfloss, sugar toys, beverages, mouth fresheners, ice candy and bakery product samples exceeded the prescribed limit. Non-permitted colours were mostly prevalent in candyfloss and sugar toy samples. Though sunset yellow FCF (SSYFCF) and tartrazine were the two most popular colours, many samples used a blend of two or more colours. The blend of SSYFCF and tartrazine exceeded the prescribed limit by a factor of 37 in one sample, and the median and 95th percentile levels of this blend were 4.5- and 25.7-fold, respectively. The exposure assessment showed that the intake of erythrosine exceeded the ADI limits by two to six times at average levels of detected colours, whereas at the 95th percentile level both SSYFCF and erythrosine exceeded the respective ADI limits by three- to 12-fold in all five age groups. Thus, the uniform prescribed limit of synthetic colours at 100 mg kg(-1) under Indian rules needs to be reviewed and should be governed by consumption profiles of the food commodities to check the unnecessary exposure of excessive colours to those vulnerable in the population that may pose a health risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumita Dixit
- Food Toxicology Division, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, PO Box 80, Lucknow - 226001, U.P., India
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