E110 - Sunset Yellow
Written by Chris Andrews on September 28th, 2005 in Colours.
Sunset Yellow (also FCF Orange Yellow S, FD&C Yellow 6) is a colourant used in foods. Wikipedia tells us that it is a synthetic coal tar and azo yellow dye useful in fermented foods which must be heat treated. It may be found in orange squash, orange jelly, marzipan, Swiss roll, apricot jam, citrus marmalade, lemon curd, sweets, hot chocolate mix and packet soups, trifle mix, breadcrumbs and cheese sauce mix and soft drinks.
Bad news is that it can cause allergic reactions in some causing rashes and according the the UK Food Guide website: “Side effects are urticaria (hives), rhinitis (runny nose), nasal congestion, allergies, hyperactivity, kidney tumors, chromosomal damage, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, indigestion, distaste for food; increased incidence of tumors in animals.”
If that’s not bad enough, it has more recently been linked with cancer.
Unsurprisingly E110 - Sunset Yellow is a banned additive in Finland and Norway.
Further Reading: