Colorants
Pages 33-41
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/1891127004.005
ISBN: 1-891127-00-4
Abstract
Topics Covered
- Safety of Colorants
- Stability in Foods
- Lakes
Introduction to Chapter
The history of synthetic colorants dates back to the discovery of the first synthetic dye, mauve, by Sir William Henry Perkin in 1856. Since then, over 700 colorants have been available to the paint, plastic, textile, and food industries. In 1907, about 80 colorants were offered for use in foods (1), and obviously very few had been tested for safety. At that time, Dr. Bernard Hesse, a German dye expert employed by the USDA, was asked to study the colorants available for use in foods. He concluded that only 16 of the 80 colorants were probably more or less harmless and recommended only seven for general use in food.
Most of Hesse's information was embodied in the Food and Drug Act of 1906. This act, together with Food Inspection Decision No. 76 in July 1907, put an end to the indiscriminate use of colorants in food. The new legislation allowed only colorants that were of known chemical structure and that had been tested for safety. The act also set up a system for certification of synthetic organic food colorants designed for use in foods. The certification of each batch included proof of identity and documentation of the levels of impurities. During the next three decades, 10 more colorants were added to the list.
The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938 forbade the use of any uncertified coal-tar color in any food, drug, or cosmetic shipped in interstate commerce, and it created three categories of coal-tar colors:
- FD&C Colors: Those certifiable for use in coloring foods, drugs, and cosmetics.
- D&C Colors: Dyes and pigments considered safe in drugs and cosmetics when in contact with mucous membranes or when ingested
- External (Ext.) D&C Colors: Colorants not certifiable, because of their oral toxicity, for use in products intended for ingestion but onsidered safe for use in products applied externally
Each colorant had to be identified by its specific FD&C, D&C, or Ext. D&C name. This act also stated that "The Secretary [of Health, Education and Welfare] shall promulgate regulations providing for the listing of coal-tar colors which are harmless and suitable for food."
