Illegal Dyes Testing

Illegal dyes testing in Food, often referred to as color additives, are commonly used in many of the foods we eat. They are added for a variety of reasons such as for enhancing color, imparting flavor, increase shelf life of the product, and making products more fun and appetizing. While many color additives used in food products are recognized as safe or GRAS, studies have reported that there are certain possible links between the consumption of foods containing dyes as an ingredient to increased hyperactivity in children.

Regulations for safety application of food colors or dyes in various food products varies from country to country. Let's say, Red Dye No. 40 used in fruit juice beverages, Yellow Dye No. 5 and No. 6 mostly found in macaroni and cheese are allowed as per American regulatory standards. Whereas, UK regulations strictly banned these artificial colors. In the same way, regulatory limits for foods containing concentrated chemical dyes also varies from country to country. Dyes, like azo-dyes, Sudan dyes are banned as food additives and are highly regulated. Other dyes are regarded as simply chemicals of concern, which should be carefully and systematically monitored.

Regulations for Food Dyes

Whether it is natural or artificial color added to food, they should meet the desired specification as stipulated by regulation. In India, there are a set of regulations for the use of food colors in foods. The FSSAI regulations for food colouring are described under the category ‘Colouring Matter’ in the Food Safety and Standards

(Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. FSSAI sets maximum limits for the use of synthetic colors. This is usually 100 parts per million of the final food or beverages for consumption. However, for few foods and beverages, permitted maximum limit of synthetic food colours may be up to and should not exceed 200 parts per million of the final food or beverages for consumption.

The labelling protocol about the food colours on the product shall be in accordance with the FSS (Packaging & Labelling) Regulations, 2011.Internationally, Food Color Additives are regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) and the Code of Federal Regulations Title 21.

Sudan dyes and other illegal dyes found in foods like -Sudan I to IV,Sudan Orange G,Sudan Red B,Sudan Red G,Sudan Red 7B,Sudan Black B.Other dyes like Butter Yellow, Para Red, Rhodamine B and Orange II are basically synthetically produced azo dyes.

Their degradation products are considered to be carcinogens and teratogens. Due to this fact, the EU does not permit the use of these colours as food additives. However, in some countries, these dyes are still occasionally used in order to intensify the colour of bell pepper and chilli powder.

During 2003, the EU-Rapid Alert System (RASFF) issued a series of notifications concerning the presence of Sudan dyes in chilli products and others such as spices, mixtures of spices, tomato sauces, pastas and sausages. Immediate action was taken on affected products such as withdrawals/recalls. Since then, spices and products such as Worcester sauce, pizzas, soup noodles and seafood sauces have repeatedly been recalled throughout Europe for the detection of prohibited colorants.

Another topic in this context is the detection of the natural dye annatto (E160b) in spices. The EU allows the use of annatto in a variety of foods, but not in spices and spice mixtures. The main coloring component in annatto seed is bixin (used as a detection marker), while norbixin is contained in smaller amounts.

We Offer Testing Services for the following list of Sudan dyes at our Bangalore lab:

Eurofins Advantage

Eurofins Laboratory is one of India's leading independent laboratories which provides a vast array of analytical services in food and feed testing and inspection services. Our laboratory is very well equipped with state-of-the-art equipment at par with international standards. In a very short span of time Eurofins has carved a distinguished niche for itself in the industry for its high-quality reliable testing and analytical services.

• Competence Centers with state-of-the-art equipment such as GC, HPLCs, GCMSMS, FTIR, ELISA, HR-MS, GC-MS, HPLC, LC-MS/MS, ICP-MS, Real-time PCR and NMR systems
• Fast turn-around time (TAT)
• Local contact with a Global Network
• Participation in industry associations and regulatory bodies allowing early advice on potential food scares and legal obligations
• Expert advice - testing schemes, on-site-check for hygiene and allergens, labelling advice and traceability
• Results you can rely on
• International presence­

Contact Us