Tartrazine

Tartrazine or tartrazine (in English, tartrazine) is an artificial coloring widely used in the food industry. It belongs to the family of azo dyes, those that contain the azo group: −N=N−. It comes in powder form and is soluble in water, becoming more yellow the more dissolved it is. Its molecular structure is C16H9N4Na3O9S2, trisodium 1-(4-sulfonatophenyl)-4-(4-sulfonatophenyl-azo)-5-pyrazolone-3-carboxylate.

Tartrazine increases its commercial potential when mixed with other dyes such as brilliant blue (E-133) or S green (E-142), since With them various greenish tones are obtained.

Tartrazine as a dye is also identified as E-102 (European Union), Yellow number 5 (in most Spanish-speaking countries) or Yellow 5, Acid Yellow 23, food yellow 4 (FDA-USA) and cl 19140 (for Color Index International).

Products containing tartrazine

Food

Many foods contain tartrazine in varying proportions. Depending on the manufacturer, it may be replaced by other non-synthetic dyes, such as annatto, turmeric, beta-carotene or saffron.

Products containing tartrazine include processed commercial foods that are yellow or green in color, or are expected to be brown or cream in color. Foods that may contain tartrazine are, among others:

• Desserts and sweets: ice cream, pastry products, candies, gums, gominoles, jellies, etc.
• Drinks: alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, soda, energy drinks and isotonics.
• Snacks: pancakes or corn totope, English fries, popcorn, cheese puffsetc.
• Condiments: sauces, mustard (together with the turmeric), yellow or coloring food for paellas.

Los refrescos de sabor colita contienen una pequeña cantidad de tartracina, lo cual explica su color rojizo con un ligero tinte naranja.

Sensitivity and intolerance

Azo dyes have been repeatedly questioned, because many dyes from this family (not those authorized for food use) have been shown to be carcinogenic. A fundamental difference is that carcinogenic dyes are not very polar, soluble in fats, and cross the intestinal barrier with some ease, entering the body. On the other hand, authorized dyes, which are very polar and soluble in water, are not absorbed. As for tartrazine, scientific studies carried out to date have not demonstrated any carcinogenic effect. In fact, in breast cancer models In mouse skin, tartrazine has been shown to have a strong anticancer effect.

The alleged negative health effects of tartrazine are controversial. A scientific study evaluating mixtures of food additives has linked tartrazine to an increase in the incidence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, if used in combination with benzoates (E-210 to E-215). However, the European Food Safety Authority, in a 2009 study, indicated that these data did not represent conclusive evidence and that the studies had serious experimental failures, and concluded that tartrazine at concentrations approved in the European Union did not pose a health risk. Despite this, the European Parliament passed a law in July 2008 requiring that foods containing food dyes studied to be labeled with "may have an adverse effect on children's activity and attention."

Since a condition of urticaria due to tartrazine was first described in 1959, more cases of urticaria, purpuric lesions, anaphylaxis and general intolerance due to this and other azo dyes have been reported. Cases of allergic reaction or intolerance to tartrazine, with a low incidence (1 in 10,000), increasing among people hypersensitive to aspirin, and in this case it can reach up to 2.6% of the population. Epidemiological studies in France have determined that The prevalence of intolerance to tartrazine is around 0.12% of the population. Likewise, there was information indicating that this additive could affect asthmatic people by acting as a histamine-releasing agent, although other studies deny any effect of tartrazine. tartrazine in skin or respiratory allergies.

Legislation

All foods that contain tartrazine and are marketed in the European Union must include on their labeling, in addition to an explicit indication of its presence, a legend that clearly reads: "E-102 (or Tartrazine): can have negative effects on children's activity and attention." The use of tartrazine is banned in Norway, and was in Austria and Germany until the ban was repealed by a European Union directive. In 2008, the UK Food Standards Agency called for the voluntary phase-out of tartrazine, along with five other colourants, due to a reported link with hyperactivity in children.