1. Background information
Recently, the market supervision department found that some fruit products have the problem of color agent exceeding the range and exceeding the limit. What is a colorant? How is it used in the food industry? What are the relevant laws and regulations at home and abroad? This issue is for you to interpret.
2. Expert views
(1) Colorants are food additives that make food give color and improve food color.
Colorants, also known as food coloring, are substances that make food give color and improve food color, and belong to a category of food additives. At present, there are more than 60 kinds of commonly used food colorants in the world, which can be divided into two categories: natural colorants and food synthetic colorants according to their sources and properties. Food natural colorants mainly come from natural pigments, according to their different sources, there are three main categories: one is plant pigments, such as beet red, turmeric, β-carotene, etc.; the second is animal pigments, such as lac red, carmine, etc.; the third is microorganisms, such as red yeast red. Food synthetic colorants are mainly synthesized according to some special chemical groups or chromogenic groups, according to their chemical structure can be divided into two categories, one is azo pigments, such as amaranth red, carmine, sunset yellow, lemon yellow, new red, temptation red, acid red, etc.; the other is non-azo pigments, such as red moss red, bright blue and so on.
(2) There are clear and strict regulations on the use and labeling of food colorants at home and abroad.
Different countries have clear regulations on the types and use of food colorants. The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), the European Union, the United States, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and other international organizations, countries and regions also have regulations and standards on the use of natural colorants for food and synthetic colorants for food.
China's "National Standard for Food Safety Food Additives Use Standard" (gb2760) clearly stipulates the varieties, scope of use and use limits or residues of food colorants that are allowed, and the corresponding quality specifications are gradually improving. At the same time, according to the provisions of the "General Rules for the Labeling of Prepackaged Food in the National Standard for Food Safety" (gb7718), as long as the colorant is used in the food, it must be marked on the food label.
(3) The rational use of colorants in accordance with the provisions of the standard will not cause harm to human health.
Whether it is a natural colorant for food or a synthetic colorant for food, its safety must stand on the same starting line for risk assessment. As long as it is passed through risk assessment, approved and used in accordance with the standard provisions and the corresponding quality specifications, it is safe and will not cause harm to the health of consumers. The food additives allowed to be used in gb2760 are all safety evaluated, and consumers do not need to worry about the colorants used in the case of compliance with the standard.
(4) At present, there is a phenomenon of using colorants in excess of the scope and limit of food, and this type of problem needs to be paid great attention to.
According to the results of the 2015 food safety supervision and sampling test released by the former State Food and Drug Administration, the use of food additives, including colorants, accounted for 24.8% of the unqualified samples. The reason is that some manufacturers do not understand the provisions of relevant standards, lack of corresponding technical management, and some manufacturers deliberately do it in order to save production costs or one-sidedly pursue the sensory effects of products.
3. Expert advice
(1) Food production enterprises should strictly comply with relevant standards and regulations. Under the premise of achieving the expected effect, the amount of food additives including food colorants, including food colorants, should be reduced as much as possible, and the label should be standardized in the label.
(2) Regulatory departments should increase the supervision of food colorants that exceed the scope and limit. It is recommended to strictly supervise the use and labeling of food colorants by food enterprises. The illegal addition of food colorants needs to be severely punished, and the guidance and training of practitioners are strengthened.
(C) consumers should rationally look at food colorants. It is recommended that consumers rationally look at colorants, do not overly pursue the sensory characteristics of food, and should understand food ingredients and sensory quality from a scientific and natural point of view.
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