Yellow “Sunset” (E110)

Яркие красочные продукты и товары чаще привлекают внимание покупателей, но существует множество соединений, которые придают им такой интересный цвет, и за их содержанием нужно следить.

Sunset Yellow is a food additive that belongs to the coloring group, also called Orange Yellow S, E110, and is a synthetic, water-soluble food coloring. It is most commonly used to impart a bright orange color to food products that are subject to heat treatment at high temperatures during production. Found in orange sauce, orange jelly, marzipan, swiss roll, apricot jam, citrus marmalade, sweets, hot chocolate sauce, soups, breadcrumbs, cheese sauce, canned fish and many medicines.

The food additive is resistant not only to high temperatures, but also to acids and light. All these advantages, as well as a relatively cheap method of production, explain its frequent use.

Add-on properties

Sunset Yellow is an orange-red powder, an azo dye, similar to tartrazine and allure red. An azo dye is a chemical compound in which two hydrocarbon groups are connected by two nitrogen atoms.

Azo dyes make up 60-70% of the dyes used in the food and textile industries. The reason they are so popular is because azo dyes are cheap to produce and more stable than most natural food colorings.

Security Data

The dye E110 is prohibited for use as a food additive in Sweden, Norway and Finland. In the UK in 2009, they proposed voluntarily phasing out several food colors, including Sunset Yellow, and provided guidance that could help other, safer colors achieve desired colors.

The European Food Safety Authority has recognized the food supplement E110 as safe for health when used and has increased the allowable daily intake.

Using E110

Sunset Yellow is used as a food coloring especially in foods that need to be exposed to high temperatures due to its heat stability. Sunny yellow is often used in conjunction with E123 for browning in chocolate and caramel.

Very often this dye is found in such products:

• some types of jelly;
• cheese sauce;
• джемах;
• marmalades;
• hot chocolate;
• марципанах;
• breadcrumbs.

Impact on human health

Confectionery products such as cakes, candies, drinks and ice creams usually contain an additional coloring (additive) in large quantities. These additional dyes are usually used by manufacturers to preserve the color of the product, which can change due to exposure to light, air, temperature and humidity. There have been studies evaluating the effects of solar yellow in food, one showing an association between the use of artificial colors and hyperactivity in children. Hyperactivity is a condition where a child has no control over being overly active in behavior and activities of daily living.

In November 2007, a study was published in the medical journal The Lancet, which showed that high levels of food coloring in food increase hyperactivity in children aged 3-9 years. Children who have been consuming products that contain artificial colors for many years are more at risk of developing signs of hyperactivity.

Помимо риска гиперактивности, у некоторых детей (примерно 0,1%) сообщали другие побочные эффекты, такие как сыпь, тошнота, астма, головокружение и обморок.

Краситель желтый “солнечный закат” – это сульфированное производное запрещенного, канцерогенного пищевого красителя судана I, следы которого были обнаружены в четверти партий Е110. (Partos, 2005)

In addition, Sunny Yellow dye has been reported to provoke asthma attacks and adverse allergic reactions, especially in individuals with aspirin intolerance. Symptoms include stomach problems, nasal congestion, diarrhea, rashes, and hives. These reactions are rare and require further studies to confirm.

Sunset yellow dye is often used as a dietary supplement, despite its possible side effects. The FDA does not prohibit the use of E110 in the US. However, in 2009, based on a series of studies, Sun Yellow and several other dyes were phased out in the UK (BBC News, 2008; FSA Colors advice, 2009). In addition, the presence of food coloring must be indicated on labels in most EU countries. (Meikle, 2008). Therefore, it is desirable to strive to limit the use of products and products that include E110.

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