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Allura Red AC
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Allura Red AC
Allura Red AC, also known as FD&C Red 40 or E129, is a red azo dye commonly used in food. It was developed in 1971 by the Allied Chemical Corporation, who gave the substance its name.
It is usually supplied as its red sodium salt but can also be used as the calcium and potassium salts. These salts are soluble in water. In solution, its maximum absorbance lies at about 504 nm.
Allura Red AC is manufactured by azo coupling between diazotized cresidinesulfonic acid and 2-naphthol-6-sulfonic acid. Nitrosamines (like NDMA) are usually not tested in batches of food dyes, even though they're a known risk in diazotization chemistry.
Allura Red AC is a popular dye used worldwide. Annual production in 1980 was greater than 2.3 million kilograms. It was introduced as a replacement for amaranth in the United States.
The European Union approved Allura Red AC as a food colorant in 1994, but EU countries' local laws banning food colorants were preserved until subsequent changes in the 2000s. In the United States, Allura Red AC is approved by the FDA for use in cosmetics, drugs, and food. When prepared as a lake pigment it is disclosed as Red 40 Lake or Red 40 Aluminum Lake. It is used in some tattoo inks and is used in many products, such as cotton candy, soft drinks, candy, cherry-flavored products, children's medications, and dairy products. It is occasionally used to dye medicinal tablets to help with identification, such as with fexofenadine, an antihistamine. It is by far the most commonly used red dye in the United States, completely replacing amaranth (Red 2) and also replacing erythrosine (Red 3) in most applications due to the negative health effects of those two dyes.
Allura Red has been heavily studied by food safety groups in North America and Europe, and remains in wide use. However, chronic exposure to the dye has been shown to increase susceptibility to bowel disorders in mice. The dye has been shown to damage the DNA of mice.
The UK's Food Standards Agency commissioned a study of six food dyes, dubbed the "Southampton 6" (tartrazine, Allura Red, Ponceau 4R, Quinoline Yellow, sunset yellow, carmoisine), and sodium benzoate (a preservative) on children in the general population, who consumed them in beverages. The study found "a possible link between the consumption of these artificial colours and a sodium benzoate preservative and increased hyperactivity" in the children; the advisory committee to the FSA that evaluated the study also determined that because of study limitations, the results could not be extrapolated to the general population, and further testing was recommended.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), with a stronger emphasis on the precautionary principle, required labelling and temporarily reduced the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for the food colorings; the UK FSA called for voluntary withdrawal of the colorings by food manufacturers. However, in 2009, the EFSA re-evaluated the data at hand and determined that "the available scientific evidence does not substantiate a link between the color additives and behavioral effects", and in 2014, after further review of the data, the EFSA restored the prior ADI levels. In 2015, the EFSA found that the exposure estimates did not exceed the ADI of 7 mg/kg per day in any population.
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Allura Red AC
Allura Red AC, also known as FD&C Red 40 or E129, is a red azo dye commonly used in food. It was developed in 1971 by the Allied Chemical Corporation, who gave the substance its name.
It is usually supplied as its red sodium salt but can also be used as the calcium and potassium salts. These salts are soluble in water. In solution, its maximum absorbance lies at about 504 nm.
Allura Red AC is manufactured by azo coupling between diazotized cresidinesulfonic acid and 2-naphthol-6-sulfonic acid. Nitrosamines (like NDMA) are usually not tested in batches of food dyes, even though they're a known risk in diazotization chemistry.
Allura Red AC is a popular dye used worldwide. Annual production in 1980 was greater than 2.3 million kilograms. It was introduced as a replacement for amaranth in the United States.
The European Union approved Allura Red AC as a food colorant in 1994, but EU countries' local laws banning food colorants were preserved until subsequent changes in the 2000s. In the United States, Allura Red AC is approved by the FDA for use in cosmetics, drugs, and food. When prepared as a lake pigment it is disclosed as Red 40 Lake or Red 40 Aluminum Lake. It is used in some tattoo inks and is used in many products, such as cotton candy, soft drinks, candy, cherry-flavored products, children's medications, and dairy products. It is occasionally used to dye medicinal tablets to help with identification, such as with fexofenadine, an antihistamine. It is by far the most commonly used red dye in the United States, completely replacing amaranth (Red 2) and also replacing erythrosine (Red 3) in most applications due to the negative health effects of those two dyes.
Allura Red has been heavily studied by food safety groups in North America and Europe, and remains in wide use. However, chronic exposure to the dye has been shown to increase susceptibility to bowel disorders in mice. The dye has been shown to damage the DNA of mice.
The UK's Food Standards Agency commissioned a study of six food dyes, dubbed the "Southampton 6" (tartrazine, Allura Red, Ponceau 4R, Quinoline Yellow, sunset yellow, carmoisine), and sodium benzoate (a preservative) on children in the general population, who consumed them in beverages. The study found "a possible link between the consumption of these artificial colours and a sodium benzoate preservative and increased hyperactivity" in the children; the advisory committee to the FSA that evaluated the study also determined that because of study limitations, the results could not be extrapolated to the general population, and further testing was recommended.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), with a stronger emphasis on the precautionary principle, required labelling and temporarily reduced the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for the food colorings; the UK FSA called for voluntary withdrawal of the colorings by food manufacturers. However, in 2009, the EFSA re-evaluated the data at hand and determined that "the available scientific evidence does not substantiate a link between the color additives and behavioral effects", and in 2014, after further review of the data, the EFSA restored the prior ADI levels. In 2015, the EFSA found that the exposure estimates did not exceed the ADI of 7 mg/kg per day in any population.
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