Sunset Yellow FCF By David Folland 10.3

Chemical Nomenclature Disodium 6-hydroxy-5-[(4-sulfophenyl)azo]-2-naphthalene sulfonate Food Additive 110 (E110) Food Drug & Cosmetics – Yellow 6 CAS Registry Number - 2783-94-0 Chemical Formula - C16H10N2Na2O7S2 Molecular Weight - 452.3 g/mol

Structure

Chemistry Orange-Red Crystals Contains hydroxyl (alcohol), sulfonate, azo (Nitrogen double bond) and aromatic functional groups The azo group gives colour to many compounds The hydroxyl and sulfonate groups (and the sodium ion) increase water solubility Produce Yellow colour in solution of water or ethanol Decomposes without melting at 390C When it decomposes it releases oxides of sulfur and nitrogen

Production The colour additive is manufactured by adding a Nitrogen-nitrogen double bond to 4-aminobenzenesulfonic acid using hydrochloric acid and sodium nitrite or sulfuric acid and sodium nitrite. This compound is coupled with 6-hydroxy-2-naphthalene-sulfonic acid. The dye is isolated as the sodium salt and dried.

Uses Sunset yellow is used in a range of foods and drink including cakes, icecream, soft drink, cordial and flavoured milks. It is estimated that the average Australian consumes about 1 mg /day with 90% of people eating less than 3.5 mg/day. Some Australian soft drinks can have up to 100mg/kg of Sunset Yellow FCF A 25g bottle of Sunset Yellow FCF costs approximately A$50 It is also used in cosmetics

Health Effects Sunset Yellow FCF is not a carcinogen It has been suggested that a diet containing Sunset Yellow FCF, other synthetic dyes and sodium benzoate increases hyperactivity Very high doses (100x the Australian limit) can cause effects to the testes and lipid levels in rats The Australian Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) is 2.5 mg/kg bw/day The European Food Standards Authority ADI has recently been reduced to 1mg/kg bw/day

Conclusion Sunset Yellow FCF or additive 110 is a sodium salt of a sulfonated azo aromatic hydrocarbon In small amounts Sunset Yellow FCF is safe There are some concerns about health influences Most people are well below the advisable intake Like most food additives it should be taken in moderation

References American Chemical Society, 2014, Substance Details - CAS Registry Number: 2783-94-0, Online http://www.commonchemistry.org/ChemicalDetail.aspx?ref=2783-94-0 viewed 5th May EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to food, 2009, Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of Sunset Yellow FCF (E 110) as a food additive. EFSA Journal 2009; Vol 7 Number 11 44 pp, Online: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/1330.htm# Food Standards Australia New Zealand, 2008, Survey of Added Colours in Foods Available in Australia, Online http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/science/monitoring/surveillance/documents/Colours%20Survey_Final%20Report%2022%20Oct%2008%20(2).pdf viewed 5th May Food Standards Australia New Zealand, 2012, Food Additives-Numerical List, Online http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/additives/additiveoverview/documents/Food%20Additive%20Code%20Numbers(July%202012).pdf viewed 10th April Miansari66, 2011, Food Colour SSY, Online http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Food_Colour_SSY.JPG viewed 5th May National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2013, F D and C Yellow Number 6, Online http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/summary/summary.cgi?cid=6093232#x50 viewed 5th May Sigma-Aldrich, 2014, Sunset Yellow FCF, Online http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/aldrich/465224?lang=en&region=AU viewed 5th May.