The article describes the food additive (dye) sugar color (E150, caramel, caramel color), its use, effect on the body, harm and benefit, composition, consumer reviews
Functions performed
dye
Legality of use
Ukraine
EU
Russia
What is food additive E150 – sugar color?
Sugar, or caramel, coloring is a soluble food coloring. Sugar color (food additive E150) is produced either by simply exposing carbohydrates to high temperatures, or by adding various acids, alkalis and/or salts. This process is known as "caramelization". In this case, carbohydrates are oxidized much deeper than what happens during the production of caramel candies.
Sugar color has the smell of burnt sugar and a bitter taste. The color of this food coloring ranges from pale yellow and amber to dark brown. Depending on the method of production, the E150 food additive may belong to one of the following classes:
- E150a – sugar color I simple(a simple caramel made by heating carbohydrates without using any chemicals); typical applications: whiskey and other spirits;
- E150b – sugar color II, obtained using “alkali-sulfite” technology (alkali-sulfite caramel); Typical examples of use: cognac, sherry, some types of vinegar;
- E150c or sugar color III, obtained using “ammonia” technology (ammonia caramel); typical applications: beer, sauces, confectionery;
- E150d or sugar color IV, obtained using “sulfite-ammonia” technology(ammonia sulfite caramel); Typical applications: soft drinks.
Caramel color food coloring is produced from available food raw materials, which contain fructose, glucose, invert sugar, sucrose, malt syrup, molasses, starch hydrolysates and its constituent elements.
As for acids, sulfuric, phosphoric, sulfurous, citric and acetic acids can be used in the caramelization process. Among the alkalis, ammonium, sodium, potassium and calcium hydroxide derivatives take part in this process.
In addition, salts such as ammonium, sodium, potassium carbonate, bicarbonate, phosphoric acid (including mono- and dibasic), sulfuric acid and bisulfite can be used.
Sugar color, E150 – effects on the body, harm or benefit?
Caramel color E150 is a globally approved food additive, however, the methods of its use and restrictions regarding the permissible amount differ in each country. Sugar color has excellent microbiological stability. Since the production of this food coloring takes place under conditions of high temperature, acidity and high pressure, it is absolutely sterile, because these conditions exclude the possibility of the development of bacteria.
Possible side effects from consuming products containing the E150 dietary supplement may vary: from allergic reactions to malignant tumors and decreased absorption of vitamins.
The safest food additive from the E150 group is sugar color I - simple caramel. Caramel colors E150b and E150d, due to production technology, may contain traces of sulfites.
Caramel color is obtained from a number of elements. Certain ingredients used in its production may cause allergic reactions if the body is particularly sensitive to them, as well as in the presence of intestinal diseases or gluten intolerance. That is why people suffering from these disorders are advised to avoid products containing E150 dye, or at least determine the source of the additive before consuming them.
Food additive sugar color – use in food products
Sugar coloring is one of the most famous and long-used food colorings. The E150 food additive is an integral part of many industrially produced food and beverage products, including dough products, beer, brown bread, baked goods, chocolate, biscuits, cough syrups, as well as spirits such as brandy, rum and whiskey; Confectionery products with chocolate flavor, glazes and sweet creams, decorations for finished confectionery products, fillings and gravies, potato chips, complex desserts, donuts, fish and caviar, frozen desserts, canned fruits, glucose tablets, sauces, ice cream, also contain sugar coloring. pickled vegetables and other pickles, soft drinks (especially cola and the like), candy, vinegar and other products.
Sugar color I simple is a food additive classified as natural or identical natural dyes.
E150a Sugar color I simple usually looks like a thick, viscous liquid, solution or powder, has a dark brown color, a bitter taste and a characteristic burnt smell. As a rule, E150a Sugar color I simple is produced by heating and thermal decomposition of carbohydrates. The dye is highly soluble in alcohol-containing drinks and does not change its properties when exposed to light and heating. E150a is most often obtained from sugar cane or cane.
E150a is one of the most common dyes used in food and beverages. Due to the caramel taste and smell, Sugar coloring is most often used for the production of, and, as well as. With E150a you can give your products any shade: from light amber to dark brown. In addition, E150a acts as an emulsifier. Other products that contain E150a are yoghurts, preserves and jams, chocolate, chips, many types of canned foods: vegetables, berries and fruits, and some meat products - sausages, boiled sausage, pates.
Uncontrolled consumption of products containing the E150a food additive causes disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract - indigestion, constipation and bloating.
Use of E150a Sugar color I simple in Russia
Throughout the Russian Federation, it is permitted to use E150a as a coloring agent for food products and in the production of medicines and cosmetics. It is considered the safest of the line and natural, which makes it expensive.
Sugar color, which is also called caramel or food additive E150, is essentially burnt, and has been known to mankind since the time when sugar itself began to be produced. It was subjected to heat treatment, obtaining, depending on its degree, either a soft caramel mass or a solid substance with a characteristic taste. It was the coloring properties of the substance that were discovered a little later, and from about the middle of the 19th century they began to be used in food production. And today the food industry uses E150 caramel to obtain the appropriate coloring for food.
Methods for obtaining the additive, its chemical properties
The substance is very easy to obtain at home - regular sugar is added to a saucepan and dissolved over low heat. If desired, you can add or. The longer the mixture is kept on the stove, the more bitter and dark the caramel turns out. The sugar color obtained in this way can be dissolved in water, and it acquires a brown or dark brown tint. The resulting syrup can be used to tint drinks or baked goods.
For industrial purposes, the substance is synthesized from malt syrup or.
According to its chemical structure, the E150 additive belongs to natural heteropolymer pigments with a complex structure.
The substance can be in a solid, thick or liquid state: in the form of a powder, granules, syrup or liquid solution. Color: beige, yellow-brown or dark brown. Sugar color or caramel has a characteristic smell of burnt sugar.
The additive is highly resistant to temperature and light, as well as to reactions with acid.
The melting temperatures of sugar color depend on the raw material from which it was obtained: 145-149 degrees Celsius for glucose, 98-102 degrees for fructose, 160-185 degrees for sucrose, and, accordingly, the same melting parameters for caramel, prepared from these components.
In addition to the main component, sulfuric, phosphoric, citric acids, ammonium, sodium, calcium and potassium alkalis can be added to caramel.
In addition to solubility in water, a substance has one more parameter: the degree of solubility in ethanol and.
A reservation should be made at this point - the fact is that the designation “E150” hides several varieties of caramel, since the method of its preparation may involve the addition of acids, alkalis, ammonium, sodium and potassium salts.
Thus, they distinguish:
- plain caramel (E150a);
- caramel synthesized using alkali-sulfite technology (E150b);
- caramel produced using ammonia technology (E150c);
- caramel, which is produced using ammonia-sulfite technology (E150d).
And if the first type, 150a, is insoluble in fats, then all other varieties are insoluble in alcohols. These characteristics directly affect in which products which type of caramel can be used.
The substance is mainly used as:
- dye (changes the color of the product, gives it more saturation);
- emulsifier (in soft drinks it prevents sedimentation and turbidity).
Industrial Applications
The main “consumer” of sugar color is the food production industry. The food additive E150 can be found in various products. 150a is found in:
- black bread, dough and pastries;
- dairy products;
- confectionery products;
150b is used for the preparation of spirits and soft drinks. 150c – ingredient for protein-containing drinks, sauces and beer. 150d is used in sweet sodas such as Coca-Cola, alcoholic beverages, and animal feed. In addition, sugar coloring is a component of dry broths, canned meats, sausages and frankfurters.
The light-protective properties of the substance do not allow foods and drinks to oxidize; in non-alcoholic products, the sugar color prevents the appearance of flakes and sediment.
The effect of the supplement on human health
Food coloring E150 is approved for use in all countries of the world. There are no strict prohibitions or restrictions in this regard, however, in the USA there is a requirement regarding the E150d subtype - its presence in the product must be indicated.
Scientists currently do not have any confirmed data regarding the benefits of consuming sugar coloring. And the popularity and widespread use of the substance is due to its almost complete harmlessness to the human body. The possible harm from it is the same as from regular sugar - it can provoke allergic reactions and is contraindicated for diabetics. For people who are overweight and have problems with the gastrointestinal tract, it is better to limit the consumption of caramel and products containing it. The danger in the composition of the additive may be rather residual traces of acids, alkalis and salts.
There is information that the E150d dye variety is a carcinogen, and in certain quantities provokes the appearance of malignant tumors, but science has no official confirmation of this data.
The food additive “sugar color” is perhaps one of the most ancient dyes and sweeteners known to man. From the very moment sugar began to be produced, people began to study its properties and tried to heat it, eventually obtaining caramel. A simple and inexpensive substance of natural origin could not go unnoticed by food manufacturers. Already in the 19th century, when food began to be produced in factories, the dye “sugar color” began to be used first in confectionery, later in drinks and other foods.
Since this substance does not pose any significant harm to humans, it can be consumed in limited quantities by children and adults, with some exceptions for health reasons.
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