Are artificial colorings or additives in the food you buy at the grocery store, supermarket, or bakery bad? The food industry in Latin America asserts that “if that were the case, we’d be shooting ourselves in the foot.”
Specialists and researchers from the sector gathered in the Peruvian capital to explain the implications of artificial colorings or additives. But above all, they detailed what lies behind their processing, which allows food to be marketed under international technical and health standards, they emphasized.
The use of colorings
These colorings are synthetic compounds that offer more vibrant and long-lasting colors than natural ones, and are used in products such as beverages, confectionery, dairy products, and processed foods. They are even used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. They can be extracted synthetically from a plant, animal, or mineral.
Artificial additives seek to improve the visual appearance of products by making them more attractive to consumers. They are also used to enhance natural colors, standardize presentation, and compensate for color loss during processing or storage.
This was explained by María Lorena Cassis, a research chemist at the Salvador Zubirán National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition in Mexico, and Yock Acón, a food engineer at Desarrollos Alimentarios in Costa Rica, during the First Technical Forum on Nutrition and Dietetics, held at Unifé.
The experts agreed that the use of colorants and additives responds to consumer preferences increasingly oriented toward functional, safe, and high-quality products. Therefore, both emphasize that there are strict regulations for their use and labeling to ensure safety.
What are the most commonly used colorants?
Both Cassis and Acón emphasized that any artificial (and natural) coloring or additive must meet the criteria established by regulatory bodies like the FDA when seeking to export food to the United States.
The Food and Drug Administration is a federal government agency that protects public health by ensuring the safety and efficacy of food, medicines, and biological products. It also does so with cosmetics, medical devices, and products that emit radiation, while also regulating the information on these product labels.
Food shipped to the European Union must comply with the regulations of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which also provides independent scientific advice on food risks.
And what are some of these colorings present in the food industry that require FDA and EFSA approval for export?
These include:
Tartrazine (E-102): one of the most common colorings, as it provides a lemon-yellow hue to products such as baked goods, beverages, ice cream, candies, and meat products.
Sunset Yellow S (E-110): used in orange sodas, ice cream, candies, snacks, and desserts.
Carmoisine or Azorubine (E-122): gives a raspberry-red color and is used in candies, ice cream, and desserts.
Ponceau Red 4R (E-124): similar to cochineal red, used in baked goods, candies, and caviar substitutes.
Patent Blue V (E-131): for green tones in canned vegetables, jams, pastries, candies, and beverages.
Erythrosine (E-127): common in dairy products, jellies, jams, and strawberry-flavored products.
The specialists from Mexico and Costa Rica also spoke about the need for the industry—in collaboration with local health authorities—to constantly evaluate any material used in food.
This will allow the population to have greater certainty about what they consume without risking their health. Both insist that the sector is not served by problems with unsafe foods that put health at risk.
Concerns about the use of colorings and additives in food
In November 2024, the U.S. National Library of Medicine published a study (review) called Additives in Processed Foods as a Potential Source of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals.
It shows that various food additives, such as phthalates, bisphenol A, tartrazine, erythrosine, artificial sweeteners, and parabens, have been identified as potential sources of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in processed foods. EDCs are substances that frequently interfere with the normal functioning of the endocrine system, creating an abnormal environment in the biological system.
This causes, the text indicates, “adverse health effects such as altered hormone synthesis, receptor binding, and signal transduction pathways, as well as homeostatic disorders of energy metabolism.”
The latter “potentially increase the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiometabolic diseases, and can also trigger allergic reactions.” The specialists present in Lima assure that every ingredient or active ingredient used in the food industry undergoes rigorous testing and studies.
The role of natural colorants
Now, amid the industry’s defense of the use of artificial colorants or additives in food, there are voices calling for an increasing use of natural ones. Acón and Cassis recognize the importance of their use—as currently practiced—but it is not as intensive as artificial ones.
Some of the most common are:
Turmeric extract: provides a bright yellow color, widely used in sauces, rice, baked goods, and processed foods.
Anthocyanins: pigments that give red, purple, and blue colors, present in fruits such as blueberries, grapes, beets, and purple cabbage. Used in beverages, ice cream, and confectionery.
Chlorophyll: Extracted from green leaves, it provides green hues and is used in chewing gum, beverages, and sweets.
Cochineal carmine: Obtained from a parasitic insect, it gives a deep red color and is used in yogurt, ice cream, and meat products.
Beetroot powder: A vibrant red pigment used in desserts, smoothies, and baked goods.
Carrot powder: natural orange color, used in soups, beverages, baked goods, and snacks.
Challenges to achieving greater scale
And why aren’t these colorants used more widely? Both agree that several factors hinder wider use, but one is the most important. Acón commented that there are obstacles or limitations to increasing the production and distribution of this product or ingredient from a small or pilot scale to mass production and large-scale sales.
This scaling-up process involves several challenges, such as:
Adapting the manufacturing process to be efficient, reproducible, and maintain quality when producing large volumes. Ensuring the constant and sufficient availability of raw materials.
Managing costs to keep production profitable.
Comply with health and food safety regulations on a larger scale.
Adjust logistics and the supply chain to reach more markets.
Validate commercial acceptance in larger volumes and through different sales channels.
There is also another limitation, Cassis pointed out: natural additives or colorants tend to be less stable in preserving the intense color of foods. And, ultimately, consumers tend to look for foods that are more visually appealing, she indicated.
The specialists emphasized that colorants and additives are not exempt from further study and analysis, as is the case with the red dye number 3 called erythrosine, created from petroleum.
It is used to give food or medication capsules a bright pink to red appearance. However, the FDA announced earlier this year that it will ban its use in foods and medications due to concerns about its health impact.
In other parts of the world, several countries, particularly in the European Union, severely restrict its use. But they did not hesitate to affirm that the food consumed at home does not pose a risk to human health.
– Advertisement –
Source link
TCRN STAFF
