The+issue

media type="custom" key="7673967" align="center"




 * Brilliant Blue FCF**, also known under commercial names, is a [|colorant] for foods and other substances to induce a color change. It is denoted by [|E number] **E133** and has a [|color index] of 42090. It has the appearance of a reddish-blue powder. It is soluble in water, and the solution has a maximum absorption at about 628 [|nanometer].

**Chemistry**

It is a [|synthetic] [|dye] produced using [|aromatic hydrocarbons] from [|petroleum]. [| It can be combined with] [|tartrazine] (E102) to produce various shades of green. It is usually a disodium salt. The diammonium salt has CAS number [ [|2650-18-2]  ]. Calcium and potassium salts are also permitted. It can also appear as an aluminium [|lake]. The chemical formation is C 37H 34N 2Na 2O 9S 3. The dye is poorly absorbed from the gastro-intestinal tract and 95% of the ingested dye can be found in the feces. It also reacts with certain bile pigments to form green [|feces].

**Applications** As a blue color, Brilliant Blue FCF is often found in [|ice cream], [|canned] processed [|peas], [|dairy] products, sweets and drinks. It is also used in [|soaps], [|shampoos], [|mouthwash] and other hygiene and cosmetics applications. In soil science, Brilliant Blue is applied in tracing studies to visualize infiltration and water distribution in the soil.

**Healthy and Safety**

Brilliant Blue FCF has previously been banned in [|Austria], [|Belgium] , [|Denmark] , [|France] , [|Germany] , [|Greece] , [|Italy] , [|Norway] , [|Spain] , [|Sweden] , and [|Switzerland] among others but has been certified as a safe food additive in the EU and is today legal in most of the countries. It has the capacity for inducing an [|allergic] reaction in individuals with pre-existing moderate asthma. In the [|United States] production exceeds 1 million [|pounds] annually, and daily consumption is around 16 mg per person.

It is one of the colorants that the [| __Hyperactive__] Children's Support Group and the [|Feingold] Association recommends to be eliminated from the diet of children. After extensive testing, the National Institutes of Health concluded that color additives do not cause hyperactivity.

Back to Brilliant Blue 12-2