Food coloring E123 Amaranth. What effect do food additives E101, E103, E104, E105 and E123 have on the body? What harm do people do? Use of the substance: from sheepskin coat to jam

The amaranth plant and the products obtained from it (flour, oil, seeds, meal) are only gaining popularity among our compatriots, more and more people are learning about their incredible useful properties, which are described in detail in the articles on our portal.

However, it is not uncommon for those who foaming at the mouth to prove the harm of amaranth and talk about its prohibition throughout the civilized world also interfere. As a result, many repel from the plant.

Why is this happening and why are there such conflicting opinions about amaranth, which is almost the food of the gods? Let's try to understand this difficult question!

It's all about the substitution of concepts!

It turns out that the whole point is in the substitution of concepts, as well as the unwillingness of people to get to the bottom of the truth and understand the essence of the issue.

Indeed, under the name "Amaranth" there is a special food coloring that has received the classification number E123. But this dye has no direct or indirect relationship to the plant itself - they are connected only by the name.

Therefore, people, having heard about amaranth and trying to find information about it, come across data on dyes and stop their searches, believing that the plant is extremely dangerous for humans.

What is E123 (Amaranth) dye?

Indeed, there is such a dye, which has several different spellings of the name:

• E123;
• E-123;
• Amaranth.

It is included in the group of food additives and is a common food coloring. Although, in principle, it is difficult to consider it common, since it is harmful to the body and is not allowed for use in many countries of the world.

Main characteristics of E-123

This dye is a common chemical produced synthetically in a laboratory. To obtain the powder, coal tar is used.

It has been designed to give food to certain shades:

• red with purple hints;
• red with blue notes;
• red with brown notes.

Apparently, its name is due to the fact that the dye is able to impart a color similar to the shade of the inflorescences of the amaranth plant.

The dye is made in the form of a regular powder - it dissolves freely in any liquid. If the powder is heated to a temperature of 120 degrees Celsius or higher, then it will begin to decompose, but is not subject to melting, whatever the temperature may be.

Today, the coloring powder with the E123 index is included in the list of extremely dangerous additives.

Where and how was E123 powder used?

Previously, this food coloring was quite common and was actively used in various areas of the food industry - it was used for:

• making cupcakes;
• production of dry quick breakfasts;
• production of jelly.

Also, the dye is often used in the manufacture of semi-finished products, drinks. In particular, it was used for coloring at food flavoring factories:

• drinks;
• a variety of desserts and pastries, including ice cream;
• puddings, etc.

It was also in demand in the production of cosmetics - for example, in the manufacture of lipstick and other decorative goods of this type.

by the way ... The E-123 dye is in demand not only in the food industry, but also in other types of industry. For example, when dyeing paper or in the textile industry when creating fabrics of various colors (most often the tones indicated above).

The negative impact of food coloring "Amaranth" on the human body

Almost half a century ago, in the United States of America, it was decided to conduct research in order to reveal how the food coloring Amaranth E-123 affects the body.

Laboratory rats were used for the study. The results obtained almost shocked scientists. It turned out that the dye provokes irreversible changes in the liver, and also negatively affects the reproductive system.

In addition, a significant increase in the risk of the formation of malignant tumors in the body of rats was found.

The data obtained led to the fact that E123 was officially recognized as a carcinogen in the United States of America and banned for use.

by the way ... During research, it was also found that the dye is capable of provoking congenital pathologies in children. Therefore, pregnant women, young children are strictly prohibited from using any products with any dye content.

Later, other negative
the impact of the dye "Amaranth" on human health. In particular, it contributes to:

• the appearance of chronic rhinitis;
• allergies appear, manifested in the form of a rash, itching;
• problems in the work of the liver and kidneys.

This dye should not be used by people who are hypersensitive to aspirin. It is forbidden to use amaranth and children for another reason - it provokes hyperactivity.

In Ukraine and Russia, the use of amaranth E123 additive is prohibited today. Although in some countries, for example, the same Great Britain, the ban was not adopted.

Summarizing

This article proves that you cannot draw superficial conclusions about anything. You must first study the topic as deeply as possible.

For example, the word "amaranth" hides not only a dangerous dye for health, but also an extremely useful plant, which is recommended to be used for the prevention and treatment of various diseases.

For more information about the features of the use of amaranth in medicine, read the articles on our website, where there are many recipes and recommendations on how to use the plant and its products to defeat even the most dangerous diseases!

The food additive under the code E 123 is referred to as "Amaranth" and belongs to unnatural substances of synthetic origin, a group of dyes. This additive also has an extremely high level of danger, negatively affects the functionality of internal organs and human systems.

Origin: synthetic

Danger: extremely high level

Synonymous names of the additive: Amaranth, E123, E-123, trisodium salt, Amaranth, E123, E-123.

general information

Amaranth belongs to the category of azo dyes and is extracted from coal tar. The main color of the powder is red. This powder dissolves in an aqueous medium, and at high temperatures it is subject to decomposition, but not melting (from 120 0 С).

In the form of a chemical formula, Amaranth powder will look like this: C 20 H 11 N 2 O 3 Na 10 S 3.

Do not confuse amaranth, a chemical product for tinting, with Amaranth, a plant, a beautiful flower from the amaranth family. They have in common, well, except for the color, and nothing more. And unlike its namesake flower, the dye can cause irreparable harm to human health.

Influence on the body

Harm

First of all, it is worth noting the negative signs and symptoms that regular and large amounts of this supplement can cause.

First, as an allergic reaction of the immune system, rhinitis, urticaria, and a skin rash with itchy peeling can occur.

Secondly, the negative effect and impairment of the functionality of the kidneys and liver have been proven with the regular use of this dye (or rather, the products in which it is used to color them).

Thirdly, E 123 negatively affects the entire reproductive system, both in men and women.

In connection with such side effects, this supplement is strictly forbidden to be eaten by children (in them it causes excessive activity and reduces the level of concentration) and people suffering from aspirin intolerance.

According to the findings from studies that were conducted back in 1976 in the United States, this dye increases the level of risk of developing cancer to the maximum levels. And after these discoveries, the additive was banned for use in food production facilities of the USA.

There is also evidence that Amaranth can lead to the development of congenital deformities (teratogenic effects) and the development of heart defects in the fetus during gestation.

In this regard, the dye under the code E 123 is also strictly prohibited for pregnant and lactating mothers.

Benefit

Since the substance E 123 does not exist in living nature and its origin is exclusively artificial, there is also no scientific data on its likely benefits for humans.

Usage

E-123 trisodium salt was previously used for coloring certain products in food production. It was used to make jellies, breakfast cereals, and other dry mixes for baking or sealing. It was also used in drinks and biscuits.

In other areas of industry, this dye is still used today. So it is used to paint lipsticks, blush (in the production of cosmetics), paper, natural and artificial fabrics, leather (in the clothing and paper industries).

Legislation

In such countries as: Ukraine, the Russian Federation, the United States of America, and many European countries, this food additive-dye E 123 is strictly prohibited by law for consumption and use in food production.

Amaranth, trisodium salt or food additive E123 is a substance that has pronounced coloring properties. That is why for a long time it has been used in the food industry as a food coloring: in certain proportions, it can give food red, violet, purple, brown-red or blue-red color. Today, the main consumer of amaranth dye is the cosmetics industry. The ban on the use of this substance in food was introduced not so long ago, and the reason for this was its strong poisonous and toxic properties. Therefore, in cosmetic products, the addition of amaranth is strictly regulated, although there is every chance that it will also be completely banned in this area.

Chemical properties of the additive

E123 azo dye looks like a violet, red-brown or purple powder. It is obtained in the process of processing coal tar. In nature, there is a plant of the same name, but the substance has nothing to do with it. The additive dissolves well in, and at a temperature of 120 and above degrees Celsius, it begins to decompose into elements, but does not melt.

The persistent chemical properties of the substance are explained by the presence of nitrogen-containing coloring compounds in its composition. Due to the fact that amaranth is, in fact, a waste of the coal industry, its cost is very low, which is why it has gained significant popularity among industrialists.

The main property of the substance is coloring. It is added to food in order to enhance and intensify its natural color, to give it a different color from its natural color, or to restore a color that has changed or deteriorated during heat or other processing.

The food additive E123 does not affect the taste of food. The same applies to texture, shelf life and other culinary characteristics of foods. Amaranth is only responsible for color changes.

Use of the substance: from sheepskin coat to jam

Given the intensity of the pigment contained in the dye, it does an excellent job of coloring not only cakes or. In the textile industry, amaranth is used to dye fabrics instead of the more expensive and less common cochineal. In the field of making leather goods, jackets, sheepskin coats and fur coats, E123 is also popular: when you see an unusual fur coat in bright burgundy or scarlet, you can hardly doubt that it was dyed with amaranth.

Also dye E123 is used to impart red, pink, purple or blue color to paper or cardboard.

In the cosmetics industry, the substance is a common ingredient in lipstick, blush, nail polish and other “colored” varieties of decorative cosmetics and care products.

The use of amaranth in food products is prohibited in Russia, Ukraine and the United States. However, the European Union did not impose such restrictions on its territory.

There you can easily purchase, for example, a canned jar with the E123 code in the composition.

In addition, amaranth is added to such products:

• dry mixes for baking, jelly, biscuits;
• dry breakfasts;
• sweet carbonated drinks;
• confectionery (ice cream, desserts, lollipops, dragees);
• chewing gum;
• canned fruits of a characteristic color.

The dangers of using the dye "amaranth"

The substance has been freely used for a long time in the production of various foods, desserts, and baby food. However, in the 70s of the last century, research carried out in the United States yielded such frightening results that from that time on, Americans almost completely stopped using this additive for cooking. Later, a number of other countries joined them.

Experiments with the participation of laboratory rats showed that, as a result of the use of amaranth, the rodents began to develop intensively cancerous tumors. Due to its properties as an allergen, the substance is extremely dangerous for people with allergies and asthmatics, it can cause hives, itching, and chronic rhinitis. Also, a negative effect on the liver and kidneys was revealed, as well as disturbances in the functioning of these organs.

Pregnant women are forbidden to come into contact with the dye in any form: once it gets into the body, it can cause fetal malformations, and also threaten the unborn baby with congenital allergies.

Today, in countries where the use of a substance is not prohibited, product packages containing this additive must be marked in a special way in order to draw the attention of the buyer to it.

A bright red, purple or violet powder with strong and long-lasting dyeing properties is still very popular in the UK. It can be found in canned berries and fruits, desserts, jellies and other very attractive-looking foods.

For what reasons, Britain and other countries of the European Union so boldly ignore the results of research by chemists and biologists about the properties of amaranth is unknown. However, its danger and harm to human health over the past 50 years are no longer in doubt: the substance has a strong mutagenic, toxic and oncogenic effect, is a powerful allergen. Although to date, official bans on the use of this dye in cosmetics have not yet been introduced in all states, manufacturers are trying to use it in smaller quantities, gradually switching to more harmless additives. The reason is that amaranth can cause urticaria not only from eating, but also from contact with mucous membranes and skin. Such cases have been recorded more than once in world practice, in fact, why the attitude towards the substance today has become extremely negative in most countries.

All additives described in the article are dyes and are synthesized artificially.

E101- nothing more than vitamin B2 (riboflavin); E103 (alkane, alkane) extracted from the roots of the Mediterranean plant Alcanne Dyeing.

E104 (Quinoline yellow) contains impurities of sodium sulfate and chloride, toxic foreign molecules. It is used as a sodium salt.

E105- yellow strong (acidic), E 123 is called amaranth in another way, and in some countries - "Charming Red".

Features and chemical properties

Technical vitamin B2 is a solid bitter lemon-orange substance, almost insoluble in alcohol and water, stable in an acidic environment.

It is sometimes used as a better soluble sodium salt. Does not decompose at high temperatures, decomposes on light and in alkalis.

In terms of chemical structure, it is sugar combined with a substance by flavin. It does not accumulate in the body; in excess, it is excreted in the urine.

Alkanet is soluble in fats; under the action of strong oxidants it decomposes into carbon, sulfur, nitrogen and sulfur oxides.

E 104, E 105, E 123 have 2 nitrogen atoms connected by a double bond, which causes harm to the body. Quinoline yellow is a yellow-green substance, contains several sulfur atoms, melts at 150 ° C.

Resistant to alkalis and acids, at high temperatures, light. Dissolves phosphorus and sulfur. It is divided into 2 forms: soluble in alcohol and water.

E 105 is extremely stable in external environments.

Amaranth is obtained from coal and oil.

It dissolves in water, when heated to 120 ° C it decomposes without melting. It exists in the form of sodium salts.

The annual plant amaranth and the substance of the same name are in no way related to each other.

The plant is famous for its scarlet flowers and seeds, which are rich in protein and healthy.

Purpose of application

All considered additives restore the lost color of the product after its processing and preparation, give it a presentation.

Vitamin B2 enriches food and animal feed, and is also used to make them yellow.

E103 - dye of gold, burgundy, red or brown.

Quinoline yellow is used alone for coloring dishes in lemon color or in combination with other dyes to give green, brown, black tones. For example, the yellowish-golden color of smoked fish is not achieved due to the high temperature, but due to this substance.

E 105 tints products in all shades of yellow, and E123 - from blue-red to purple and brown.

Examples of products with these additives

Are they dangerous or not

Riboflavin is useful, but due to poor solubility, it is almost not absorbed by the intestines.

To intensify the production of the vitamin, it is obtained from genetically modified bacilli and fungi, and GMOs are not useful.

In industrial production, riboflavin always contains impurities that can cause harm.

With its excess intake, urine has an unnatural color, but this is not harmful to health.

E103 is dangerous and prohibited for use in our country and on the territory of other European states and the USA.

Quinoline yellow has a middle hazard class, closer to hazardous. The Food Standards Agency, on the basis of scientific research, in 2009, its maximum daily rate was reduced by 20 times. The dye is excreted unchanged in bile and urine, i.e. not absorbed.

The E 104 additive is banned in Norway, Australia, Japan and the USA. Now it is added to tablets (in particular, expectorant lozenges and valerian), cosmetics, and fabrics.

Dye Yellow strong is highly hazardous. In China, India, Thailand and other eastern countries, it is widely used in food; banned in the Customs Union, Ukraine, USA, Canada, Japan and European countries.

Amaranth is extremely dangerous. In some European countries, Canada and the UK it is allowed.

What are the effects on the body?

Riboflavin converts enzymes into an active form, participates in the reactions of some other proteins, in particular antibodies. Helps assimilate carbohydrates and proteins, deliver oxygen to tissues. Regulates the activity of the thyroid gland, reproductive system, produces red blood cells.

Lack of vitamin B2 is fraught with consequences:

• stomatitis;
• sore throat;
• cracks and peeling on the lips, seizures;
• muscle weakness;
• the sensitivity of the eyes to light, their redness;
• cancer.

E 103 provokes oncology (even with irregular use in trace amounts in the long term), with short-term contact with the eyes and skin causes irritation, rash.

The dye does not have a safe minimum daily dose. Scientific developments in relation to alkane are ongoing to this day.

Alcanet in Russia was banned only in 2008, while other countries abandoned it about 30 years ago.

Despite the proven harm of E 103, some countries (Australia) continue to add it to food. Therefore, when traveling and buying imported goods, you should carefully read the composition.

What effect does E104 have on the body and what is the harm from it? The use of E 104 in food causes:

• in children, hyperactivity;
• suffocation in patients with asthma, which stops only in medical institutions;
• rash, skin inflammation;
• skin allergies;
• inflammation of the nasal mucosa;
• gastrointestinal diseases;

Dyes E 104 and E 123 should not be used by people with sensitivity to aspirin.

Quinoline yellow in combination with the commonly found preservative sodium benzoate enhances ADHD.

The consequence of this is rapid fatigue and poor health.

E 105 is a carcinogen, with a single consumption it causes allergies.

Amaranth causes cancer, as well as deformities and heart defects in the fetus, rash, runny nose, negatively affects the ability to reproduce, on the kidneys and liver, and causes hyperactivity in children.

Harmful food colors are found in everyday foods. Unsafe imported goods arrive at the shelves, bypassing customs bans. How many more people will lose their health until scientists prove the undeniable harm of any supplement is unknown.

Imagine the sweetest and juiciest dessert in the world, most likely there will be shades of red in its palette, because this color is a natural appetite booster. For a long time in the food and cosmetic industry, the dye amaranth red was used to give the product a juicy cherry or strawberry color, until its possible connection with cancer was discovered in the 70s of the last century. What are the true properties of a food additive labeled E-123?

Amaranth or harm of food additive E-123

Amaranth red -, the harm of which is not officially recognized throughout the world. Currently banned for use in the food industry in Russia, Ukraine, USA. But in the EU countries there is no official ban, for example, if you visit the UK, you can find its markings in canned cherries.

What is the effect of E-123 on the body? No direct link was found between cancer in humans and the use of E-123, as there were no relevant studies. But experiments on rats carried out in the 70s showed that the use of the dye causes pathological changes in the liver, birth defects of the fetus, infertility, stillbirth, early mortality of offspring, as well as the formation and growth of malignant tumors.

As for the people, the opinions are quite contradictory. It is noted that E-123 causes a small red rash (urticaria), aggravates the condition in bronchial asthma associated with increased sensitivity to aspirin. According to some scientists, the nutritional supplement can provoke itchy rashes and symptoms of hyperactivity in children, and can cause fetal development disorders.

What products contain E-123?

Amaranth red allows food technologists to work wonders. E-123 easily dissolves in water and retains its coloring properties at temperatures up to +120 ° C without melting.

E-123 can color the product red with a bluish, brown or purple tint. And this is ideal if you want to give the berries that have darkened during the cooking process an appetizing and fresh look. After exposure to the dye, the glazed fruits on the finished desserts look like they have just been picked. Therefore, it is not surprising that at the peak of its popularity, E123 appeared not only in canned food, but also on the labels of muffins, biscuits, jelly, cereals, carbonated drinks, ice cream. This shade has also entered the arsenal of cosmetics manufacturers, who successfully use it in blush and lipsticks.

However, today, when scientists have linked the use of the dye with allergic reactions and the potential risk of tumor formation, in our country food products that would contain this dye should not be found. And I really want to believe in it.