Ingrédient · Colorant
Caramel au sulfite d'ammonium
Numéro E E150d
Aussi appelé : E150d, e150d
A brown food dye used in colas; safe at normal amounts, but a byproduct raises contested cancer questions.
Sulphite ammonia caramel (E150d) is a deep-brown coloring made by heating sugar with ammonium and sulfite compounds, mainly used in colas and dark sauces. Regulators allow it within set limits, but the manufacturing process can create a contaminant called 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI), which is 'possibly carcinogenic' in animal studies at high doses - a link not confirmed in humans.
Affiché en anglais — la traduction arrive.
Why it matters
E150d is a caramel colour, but not the caramel you eat as a treat - it's made industrially by cooking sugar with ammonium sulfite and ammonium compounds under controlled conditions. Food makers use it to give cola drinks, soy sauce, and some baked goods their dark brown colour. In the body it behaves like a food colouring: it isn't absorbed to do anything useful, it just passes through. Most people never think about it, but people who drink a lot of dark soda every day are the ones with the highest exposure.
Sources (3)
- 1.EFSA: Refined exposure assessment for caramel colours (E150a,c,d)(dx.doi.org)
- 2.Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives, Annex II
- 3.IARC Monograph - 4-Methylimidazole
