Erythrosine (bakery)
What it does
Pink/red colour.
How it's made
Synthetic iodine-containing dye.
This entry covers erythrosine used specifically in bakery products. It is the same iodine-containing xanthene colour as standard erythrosine, giving a pink-red shade, but noted here for its particular use in baked goods where permitted.
Its manufacture is identical to that of erythrosine: a fluorescein-type dye is built from aromatic starting materials and then treated with iodine, which attaches to the molecule and produces the deep pink-red colour. Solubilising groups make the dye dissolve in water.
The purified, standardised dye is used in the specific foods and at the levels allowed by colour regulations. As with the main erythrosine entry, its use is limited, and it is selected where its distinctive pink shade is required.
Possible reactions
High iodine; possible thyroid effects at very high intake.