Introduction:
Erythrosine, Red No. 3 or E127, is a synthetic red dye used in foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Its bright pink hue is familiar in candies, cake decorations, and dental products.
Chemists make the dye through a chemical process that involves several steps.
Step 1: Creating Fluorescein
The process begins with two basic chemicals: phthalic anhydride and resorcinol. When chemists heat these substances, they create fluorescein, a yellow-green compound that is the base for erythrosine.
Step 2: Adding Iodine to Form Erythrosine
Next, fluorescein undergoes iodination, which means it reacts with iodine and potassium iodide. This reaction replaces some hydrogen in fluorescein with iodine atoms, creating an erythrosine red compound.
Read More: What Is Erythrosine: Are They Safe For Humans?
Step 3: Stabilizing for Use in Products
Erythrosine is often converted into its disodium salt form to make it suitable for use in various products. This form dissolves easily in water, making it ideal for use in foods and beverages.
In acidic environments, chemists stabilize erythrosine with specific surfactants to keep it evenly distributed and prevent it from settling.
Read More: Use and Application for Erythrosine?
Conclusion
Erythrosine is a product of careful chemical synthesis, transforming simple starting materials into a vibrant dye.
Its creation involves the formation of fluorescein, iodination to produce the red pigment, and stabilization for practical use. Understanding this process highlights the intricate work behind the colors we often take for granted in everyday products.
FAQs
Both dyes and lake pigments are quite different in terms of their solubility, stability, and color consistency. Lakes can be dispersed and are easier to mix with a wide range of mediums such as oils, propylene glycol, glycerin, or sucrose syrup. On the contrary, dyes are water soluble and can’t be mixed well fats or oils.
The FD&C colors are synthetic dyes or certified colors approved and permitted for use in food, drugs, or cosmetics, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The primary use of these dyes and pigments is to improve the visual appearance of products, maintaining color variations and offsetting color loss during storage.
FD&C dyes are synthetic dyes certified and approved for use in foods, drugs, and cosmetics. Generally, there are 7 commonly used FD&C dyes popular for a variety of industrial applications. Red 40 and Blue 1 are the most common red and blue dyes, while Blue 2 and Green 3 are rarely used.
