Tartrazine is a synthetic lemon yellow azo dye primarily used as a food coloring. It is also known as E number E102, C.I. 19140, FD&C Yellow 5, Yellow 5 Lake, Acid Yellow 23, Food Yellow 4, and trisodium 1-(4-sulfonatophenyl)-4-(4-sulfonatophenylazo)-5-pyrazolone-3-carboxylate. Tartrazine is a commonly used coloring agent all over the world, mainly for yellow, and can also be used with brilliant blue FCF (FD&C Blue 1, E133) or green S (E142) to produce various green shades. It serves as a dye for wool and silks, a colorant in food, drugs and cosmetics and an adsorption-elution indicator for chloride estimations in biochemistry.
Production Tartrazine is made by azo coupling of sulfanilic acid–based diazonium salts with a sulfonated pyrazolone derivative.
History Tartrazine was discovered in 1890 by Swiss chemist Johann Heinrich Ziegler, who developed the yellow azo dye in the laboratories of the Bindschedler'sche Fabrik für chemische Industrie in Basel (CIBA). This was patented and produced in Germany by BASF in 1885 (DRP 34294). The process was first presented in 1887 in Chemische Berichte, the journal of the German Chemical Society. Although the structure proposed by Ziegler was not confirmed, he was able to develop an alternative synthesis of tartrazine based on the idea that a hydrazone is the tautomeric form of an azo compound (azo-hydrazo tautomerism). This production process was patented in 1893 (British Patent 5693).
Products containing tartrazine
Foods
Many foods contain tartrazine in various proportions, depending on the manufacturer or person preparing the food. When in food, tartrazine is typically labelled as "color", "tartrazine", or "E102", depending on the jurisdiction, and the applicable labeling laws (see Regulation below). Products containing tartrazine commonly include processed commercial foods that have an artificial yellow or green color, or that consumers expect to be brown or creamy looking. It has been frequently used in the bright yellow coloring of imitation lemon filling in baked goods. The following is a list of foods that may contain tartrazine:
Desserts and confectionery: ice cream, ice pops and popsicles, confectionery and hard candy (such as gummy bears, marshmallows, etc.), cotton candy, instant puddings and gelatin, cake mixes, pastries, custard powder, marzipan, biscuits, and cookies. Beverages: soft drinks, energy and sports drinks, powdered drink mixes, fruit cordials, and flavored/mixed alcoholic beverages. Snacks: flavored corn chips (such as nachos, etc.), chewing gum, popcorn (both microwave and cinema-popped), and potato chips. Condiments and spreads: jam, jelly (including mint jelly), marmalade, mustard, horseradish, pickles (and other products containing pickles such as tartar sauce and dill pickle dip), and processed sauces. Other processed foods: cereal (such as corn flakes, muesli, etc.), instant or "cube" soups, rices (like paella, risotto, etc.), noodles, pureed fruit and pickled peppers, bright-green-colored seaweed salad.
Personal care and cosmetics products A number of personal care and cosmetics products may contain tartrazine, usually labelled as CI 19140 or FD&C Yellow 5, including:
Liquid and bar soaps, green hand sanitizer, moisturizers and lotions, mouth washes, perfumes, toothpastes, and shampoos, conditioners and other hair products. Cosmetics, such as eyeshadow, blush, face powder and foundation, lipstick, etc. – even those that are primarily pink or purple. (Usually make-up manufacturers use one label for all shades in a product line, placing the phrase "may contain" ahead of all colors that are used in that line, not necessarily that specific shade.) Nail polish, nail polish remover, temporary tattoos, and tanning lotions.
Medications Various medications include tartrazine to give a yellow, orange or green hue to a liquid, capsule, pill, lotion, or gel, primarily for easy identification. Types of pharmaceutical products that may contain tartrazine include vitamins, antacids, cold medications (including cough drops and throat lozenges), lotions and prescription drugs. Most, if not all, medication data sheets are required to contain a list of all ingredients, including tartrazine. Some include tartrazine in the allergens alert section. The Canadian Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties (CPS), a prescribing reference book for health professionals, mentions tartrazine as a potential allergy for each drug that contains tartrazine.
Other products Other products, such as household cleaning products, paper plates, pet foods, crayons, inks for writing instruments, stamp dyes, face paints, envelope glues, and deodorants, may also contain tartrazine.
Chemistry Tartrazine is water-soluble and has a maximum absorbance in an aqueous solution at 425 nm. It is one of the oldest known members of the pyrazolone family of dyes.
Potential health effects on humans
Food intolerance, sensitivity, and allergies The prevalence of tartrazine intolerance is estimated at 360,000 U.S. Citizens affected, less than 0.12% of the general population. According to the FDA, tartrazine causes hives in fewer than 1 in 10,000 people, or 0.01%. It is not clear how many individuals are sensitive or intolerant to tartrazine, but the University of Guelph estimates that it is 1 to 10 out of every ten thousand people (0.01% to 0.1% of the population).
Asthma Tartrazine has been suspected of exacerbating asthma, but medical evidence does not confirm this.
Food intolerance and ADHD-like behavior Tartrazine is one of various food colors said to cause food intolerance and ADHD-like behavior in children. It is possible that certain food colorings may act as a trigger in those who are genetically predisposed, but the evidence for this effect is weak.
Reproductive Rumors began circulating about tartrazine in the 1990s regarding a link to its consumption (specifically its use in Mountain Dew) and alleged adverse effects on male erectile function, testicle and penis size, and sperm count. The rumors likely began as the result of an in vitro study showing an effect on estrogen receptors; however, this effect was disproven in later in vivo studies. Tartrazine may have a reproductive effect at extremely high dosages, but it has no reproductive effect at the levels found in one food product.
Regulation
North America
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