China Food Safety Network News (Gao Yongqiang) makes a variety of substances produce various colors of the substance is the pigment, we see a variety of colorful foods every day, it is because it contains a variety of different pigments, so we see a variety of different colors of food, if the food does not contain pigments, then the food we see will be transparent or white.
Why add coloring to foods:
Food pays attention to color, aroma, taste, color in the first place, illustrating the importance of pigments in food, color, aroma, taste of food, can enhance appetite through visual sensory stimulation, in order to attract people's appetite, food added a variety of colors to attract consumers, it is understood that orange food can make people have the desire to eat.
Are colors a food additive?
Pigments are food additives that belong to the category of colorants in food additives.
Classification of pigments:
The pigments added to food are divided into synthetic pigments and natural pigments, and various pigments can produce countless kinds of colors through the compounding of different proportions of red, yellow and blue primary colors.
Source of pigments:
Synthetic pigment refers to the use of artificial chemical synthesis methods to obtain organic pigments, mainly with coal tar isolated from the aniline dye as raw materials, according to the structure, synthetic pigments can be divided into azo, oxygen anthracene and diphenylmethane pigments; natural pigments refer to plants, animals, microorganisms or minerals as raw materials through physical methods, and then do not change the molecular structure of the pigment extracted from the isolated pigment, from the solubility can be divided into water-soluble, oil-soluble, alcohol-soluble pigments.
Hazards of pigments:
The rational and legal use of various pigments is not harmful. But a large number of studies have shown that excessive consumption of synthetic pigments will be deposited in the liver, can cause fertility decline, terativity, some synthetic pigments in the human body may be converted into carcinogens, can cause children's developmental disorders, ADHD, used in cosmetics to cause inflammation, and even cancerous possibilities; natural pigments are not without harm, excessive consumption will not be safe, such as continuous consumption of citrus, or radish and other foods, will make or radish substances excessive, resulting in yellowing of the skin and other symptoms, However, if you stop eating for a period of time, it will automatically return to normal.
Our country allows the use of synthetic pigment types in food:
As of October 24, 2015, the synthetic pigments allowed to be used in GB2760 are: red moss red and its aluminum lake, indigo and its aluminum lake, titanium dioxide, tomato red, riboflavin, β-carotene, quinoline yellow, bright blue and its aluminum lake, lemon yellow and its aluminum lake, sunset yellow and its aluminum lake, acid red (also known as azo jade red), amaranth red and its aluminum lake, new red and its aluminum lake, carmine and its aluminum lake, iron oxide black, iron oxide red, temptation red and its aluminum lake, etc. seventeen kinds.
China allows the use of natural pigment types in food:
As of October 24, 2015, the natural colors allowed in GB2760 are: β-Apo-8'-carotene, lycopene, citrus yellow, black bean red, blackcurrant red, safflower yellow, red beige, red yeast red, red yeast yellow, natural β carotene, peanut red, curcumin, caramel color, golden cherry palm, chrysanthemum yellow extract, cocoa shell color, pepper orange, chili pepper red, capsicum oleoresin, blue indigo red, radish red, sunflower red, rose solanum red, dense mongolian yellow, grape skin red, mulberry red, sea buckthorn yellow, Sour date color, natural amaranth red, acorn shell brown, cochineal, annatto, bayberry red, lutein, chlorophyll copper, chlorophyll copper sodium salt, chlorophyll copper potassium salt, corn yellow, bilberry red, algae blue, gardenia yellow, gardenia blue, vegetable charcoal black, comfrey red, purple sweet potato pigment, lac red, sorghum red, beet red and other forty-eight kinds.
Pigments are functional or physiological activities of pigments:
Almost all synthetic pigments can not provide nutrients to the human body, and there is no beneficial physiological function; some natural pigments themselves are also raw materials for health care products, which have health care effects and certain physiological functions for the human body, such as lycopene, carotene, anthocyanin, etc. Antioxidants, remove free radical effects, lutein to protect and repair the macula, curcumin anti-inflammatory muscle, anti-tumor effect, etc.