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The fact that the buyer loves “with his eyes” has been known for quite a long time. After all, we all try to choose on the shelves of the supermarket exactly those products that look the best and lure with their appearance. But sometimes it is precisely for this that one has to pay, because chemical dyes, which are quite harmful to the human body, are most often behind an attractive appearance. One of these food colorings is charming red AC, which is designated E129.
Features of synthetic dye
This dietary supplement has various names: Cl Food Red 17, Allura Red AC, CI16035. But it is best known as Charming Red AC or food additive E129. Its chemical formula is: C18H14N2Na2O8S2.
This substance is a small granules or powder, saturated dark red color. Most commonly used as the sodium salt, but sometimes used as the potassium or calcium salts.
Contrary to popular belief, the red charm dye is not extracted from cochineal insects. From the females of these bugs, another no less popular red dye is extracted – carmine. Substance E129, in turn, was previously made from coal tar, and is currently extracted from petroleum products.
This synthetic additive was first used in the United States, in an attempt to replace it with another food coloring – amaranth.
Red charming AC is odorless, highly soluble in water, glycerin and alcohol, and absolutely insoluble in oily fluids and fats.
It consists of sulfates and sodium chlorides, basic dyes and by-products, as well as other organic compounds. This powder is quite resistant to acids, light and high temperatures. It begins to melt when exposed to a temperature of more than three hundred degrees Celsius.
Dye application and leading manufacturers
Such a food supplement is prohibited for use in a number of European countries, among which are: France and Denmark, Belgium and Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, Austria and Germany. In Ukraine, Russia, EU countries, New Zealand and Australia, there is no such ban.
This red powder is often used in the pharmaceutical industry, as well as in the production of decorative cosmetics and household chemicals.
It is also very common as a dietary supplement and is part of various food products:
- red caviar and fish;
- alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks;
- processed cheeses;
- ice cream and various desserts;
- some types of sausages, sausages and meat products;
- confectionery and bakery products;
- vegetables and fruits in glaze.
In the Russian Federation, this type of dye is produced by Giord Corporation. The substance is produced in granular, powder form, as well as in the form of varnishes. Typically, coloring requires from one to two hundred and fifty milligrams of the substance per kilogram of the finished product.
At the same time, acidity, fat content of the product, sugar content and alcohol base will largely affect the color of the product.
Also one of the leading manufacturers of such a dye is India. Produced by ROHADYECHEMLtd. powder, packed in ten-gram plastic bags.
Useful and harmful properties of the product
Food additive code E129 is considered one of the safest synthetic dyes today. It is forbidden to eat red charming AC for those people who are hypersensitive to aspirin.
Such a substance is often the cause of increased childhood hyperactivity and causes attention deficit disorder.
The E129 additive has long been classified as a carcinogen that can cause cancer. However, modern research conducted in this area has destroyed the established misconception regarding this dye. The fact is that such suspicions were caused by the technology by which this chemical compound is produced. To obtain it in chemistry, the carcinogenic substance para-Cresidine is used, but the resulting charming red product does not contain any impurities and traces of para-Cresidine.
Modern studies conducted at the Linus Pauling Research Institute have proven the anticarcinogenicity of this substance. As a result of experiments with rainbow trout, which is often used for cancer research, it turned out that the charming red AS blocks the activity of carcinogens due to its ability to form complexes with them.
Experimental fish were fed food with an admixture of the carcinogen aflatoxin in combination with red charming. As a result, it turned out that those who ate the carcinogen with the dye were fifty percent less likely to develop oncological tumors than those who ate only aflatoxin. When the synthetic substance was mixed with dibenzopyrene, the incidence of stomach cancer fell by half, and liver tumors began to occur less frequently by forty percent.
In conclusion
Charming Red AC is a synthetically derived chemical that is a dark red powder that has found widespread use in the culinary field as a color-changing food additive. Its use has long been considered unsafe, but recent studies by modern scientists have proven not only its non-involvement in the emergence and development of cancer, but also its powerful anticarcinogenic properties. But be that as it may, the use of such a synthetic dye is still prohibited in some countries of the European continent. In Ukraine and the Russian Federation, this product is not considered hazardous.