We haven’t talked about additives in a long time. In today’s article, I would like to talk about the food additive called amaranth, which is used as a colorant.

What is amaranth? What is amaranth used for?

It is among the artificial colorants. In short, artificial colorants are color materials that are not found in nature but obtained by chemical means. Amaranth, namely E123, gives red color to the product it is used in. It has the chemical formula C₂₀H₁₁N₂Na₃O₁₀S₃ It can be found in powder or granule form. E123 also has the property of being soluble in water. Also known as synthetic azo dye.

It is widely used in foods. For example, cakes, fruit sweet fillings, jellies, alcoholic beverages, etc. used in food as permitted by legislation. ADI (daily intake) is 0.5 mg/kg. Since its usage area is wide, it is possible to exceed this limit if our diet consists mostly of ready-to-eat foods. It has been observed that it causes disorders such as asthma and hyperactivity in children. In addition, its use is prohibited in many countries. (Austria, America, Russia,..)

Apart from the food sector, it is also used in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, cleaning products, play dough.

See also: What is E129?