Sunset Yellow FCF
What it does
Orange-yellow colour.
How it's made
Synthetic azo dye from petroleum derivatives.
Sunset yellow FCF is a synthetic orange-yellow azo colour used in products such as squashes, sweets, snacks and desserts. It is very water-soluble and gives a warm orange shade, and is one of the group of azo dyes that has been widely studied.
It is made by azo-dye synthesis from petroleum-derived aromatic compounds. A sulphonated aromatic amine is converted to a diazonium salt with nitrous acid and then coupled to another sulphonated aromatic molecule, forming the azo (nitrogen–nitrogen) linkage that produces the orange colour and building water-solubility into the molecule.
The dye is purified and standardised with strict limits on residual reactants, then supplied as an orange-red powder or granules. As an azo colour permitted in the EU and UK, foods containing sunset yellow must display the warning about a possible adverse effect on activity and attention in children.
Possible reactions
Reported hives, nasal congestion and hyperactivity in sensitive individuals.