Ponceau 4R (known by more than 100 synonyms,Abbey J, et at. Colorants. pp 459-465 in Encyclopedia of Food Safety, Vol 2: Hazards and Diseases. Eds, Motarjemi Y et al. Academic Press, 2013. including as C.I. 16255,FDA. 9 November 2008
Food and Drug Administration Compliance Program Guidance Manual, Chapter 03 – Foodborne Biological Hazards
p37 cochineal red A, C.I. acid red 18, brilliant scarlet 3R, brilliant scarlet 4R, new coccine,) is a synthetic colourant that may be used as a

food colouring Food coloring, or color additive, is any dye, pigment, or substance that imparts color when it is added to food or drink. They come in many forms consisting of liquids, powders, gels, and pastes. Food coloring is used in both commercial food ...

. It is denoted by

E Number E numbers ("E" stands for "Europe") are codes for substances used as food additives, including those found naturally in many foods such as vitamin C, for use within the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Commonly ...

E124. Its chemical name is 1-(4-sulfo-1-napthylazo)-2-napthol-6,8-disulfonic acid, trisodium salt. ''Ponceau'' (17th century French for "

poppy A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, ''Papaver somniferum'', is the source of the narcotic drug opi ...

-coloured") is the generic name for a family of

azo dyes Azo dyes are organic compounds bearing the functional group R−N=N−R′, in which R and R′ are usually aryl and substituted aryl groups. They are a commercially important family of azo compounds, i.e. compounds containing the C-N=N ...

. Ponceau 4R is a strawberry red

azo dye Azo dyes are organic compounds bearing the functional group R−N=N−R′, in which R and R′ are usually aryl and substituted aryl groups. They are a commercially important family of azo compounds, i.e. compounds containing the C-N=N ...

which can be used in a variety of food products, and is usually synthesized from

aromatic hydrocarbon Aromatic compounds, also known as "mono- and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons", are organic compounds containing one or more aromatic rings. The parent member of aromatic compounds is benzene. The word "aromatic" originates from the past grouping ...

s; it is stable to light, heat, and acid but fades in the presence of ascorbic acid. It is used in Europe, Asia, and Australia, but has not been approved for human consumption by the

United States Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food s ...

Health effects

There is no evidence of carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, neurotoxicity, or reproductive and developmental toxicity at the permitted dietary exposures; the European

acceptable daily intake Acceptable daily intake or ADI is a measure of the amount of a specific substance (originally applied for a food additive, later also for a residue of a veterinary drug or pesticide) in food or drinking water that can be ingested (orally) daily ove ...

(ADI) is 0.7 mg/kg and the WHO/FAO ADI is 4 mg/kg. The production process may result in unsulfonated

aromatic amine In organic chemistry, an aromatic amine is an organic compound consisting of an aromatic ring attached to an amine. It is a broad class of compounds that encompasses anilines, but also many more complex aromatic rings and many amine substituents ...

s present in concentrations of up to 100 mg/kg which may be linked to

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. The

lake pigment A lake pigment is a pigment made by precipitating a dye with an inert binder, or mordant, usually a metallic salt. Unlike vermilion, ultramarine, and other pigments made from ground minerals, lake pigments are organic.K. Hunger. W. Herbst "Pigm ...

form of the colour additive can also increase the intake of

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

beyond the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of 1 mg/kg/week. Therefore, the limit for aluminium may be adjusted to accommodate for this.EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS
091113 efsa.europa.eu Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of Ponceau 4R (E 124) as a food additive
EFSA Journal 2009; 7(11):1328

Possible cause of hyperactivity

Since the 1970s and the well-publicized advocacy of

Benjamin Feingold Benjamin F. Feingold (born June 15, 1899 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; died, March 23, 1982) was a pediatric allergist from California who proposed in 1973 that salicylates, artificial colors, and artificial flavors cause hyperactivity in children. H ...

, there has been public concern that food colourings may cause

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inapp ...

-like behavior in children.FDA
Background Document for the Food Advisory Committee: Certified Color Additives in Food and Possible Association with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children: March 30-31, 2011
/ref> These concerns have led the FDA and other food safety authorities to regularly review the scientific literature, and led the UK FSA to commission a study by researchers at Southampton University of the effect of a mixture of six food dyes (

Tartrazine 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-sulfonatop ...

Allura Red AC Allura Red AC is a red azo dye that goes by several names, including FD&C Red 40. It is used as a food dye and has the E number E129. It is usually supplied as its red sodium salt, but can also be used as the calcium and potassium salts. These s ...

, Ponceau 4R,

Quinoline Yellow WS Quinoline Yellow WS is a mixture of organic compounds derived from the dye Quinoline Yellow SS (spirit soluble). Owing to the presence of sulfonate groups, the WS dyes are water-soluble (WS). It is a mixture of disulfonates (principally), monosu ...

Sunset Yellow Sunset yellow FCF (also known as orange yellow S, or C.I. 15985) is a petroleum-derived orange azo dye with a pH dependent maximum absorption at about 480 nm at pH 1 and 443 nm at pH 13 with a shoulder at 500 nm. When added to f ...

and

Carmoisine Azorubine is an azo dye consisting of two naphthalene subunits. It is a red solid. It is mainly used in foods that are heat-treated after fermentation. It has E number E122. Uses In the US, this color was listed in 1939 as FD&C Red No. 10 for ...

, dubbed the "Southampton 6") and

sodium benzoate Sodium benzoate is the sodium salt of benzoic acid, widely used as a food preservative (with an E number of E211) and a pickling agent. It appears as a white crystalline chemical with the formula C6H5COONa. Production Sodium benzoate is commo ...

(a preservative) on children in the general population, who consumed them in beverages; the study published in 2007.Sarah Chapman of Chapman Technologies on behalf of Food Standards Agency in Scotland. March 2011 uidelines on approaches to the replacement of Tartrazine, Allura Red, Ponceau 4R, Quinoline Yellow, Sunset Yellow and Carmoisine in food and beverages/ref> The study found "a possible link between the consumption of these artificial colours and a sodium benzoate preservative and increased hyperactivity" in the children; the advisory committee to the FSA that evaluated the study also determined that because of study limitations, the results could not be extrapolated to the general population, and further testing was recommended". The European regulatory community, with a stronger emphasis on the

precautionary principle The precautionary principle (or precautionary approach) is a broad epistemological, philosophical and legal approach to innovations with potential for causing harm when extensive scientific knowledge on the matter is lacking. It emphasizes caut ...

, required labelling and temporarily reduced the

(ADI) for the food colourings; the UK FSA called for voluntary withdrawal of the colourings by food manufacturers. However, in 2009 the EFSA re-evaluated the data at hand and determined that "the available scientific evidence does not substantiate a link between the colour additives and behavioural effects". There is no evidence to support broad claims that food colouring causes

food intolerance Food intolerance is a detrimental reaction, often delayed, to a food, beverage, food additive, or compound found in foods that produces symptoms in one or more body organs and systems, but generally refers to reactions other than food allergy. Fo ...

and

-like behaviour in children.Tomaska LD and Brooke-Taylor, S. ''Food Additives - General'' pp 449-454 in Encyclopedia of Food Safety, Vol 2: Hazards and Diseases. Eds, Motarjemi Y et al. Academic Press, 2013. It is possible that certain food colouring may act as a trigger in those who are genetically predisposed, but the evidence is weak.

References

External links

''Carcinogenic Potency Database Project'' entry for SX purple, alias Ponceau 4R
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponceau 4r Food colorings Azo dyes Organic sodium salts Naphthalenesulfonates 2-Naphthols Acid dyes