食品伙伴網(wǎng)導讀：歐盟食品安全局的ANS小組在對紅色食品人工色素莧菜紅（E123）評估結束后，標志著(zhù)這個(gè)小組已對目前在歐盟各國中使用的所有偶氮食品色素的重新評估。莧菜紅作為一種紅色染料，可被用于開(kāi)胃飲料以及魚(yú)籽等食品的染色。在回顧了所有有效的毒理學(xué)數據后，該小組得到結論：該色素無(wú)遺傳毒性（即不會(huì )損害細胞內的遺傳物質(zhì)），也非致癌物。并且最終確立0.15mg/kg體重為每日的允許攝入量（ADI）低于科學(xué)委員會(huì )于1984年確立的0-0.8mg/kg的標準，及FAO和WHO的0-0.5mg的標準。欲了解更多詳情，請對原文進(jìn)行閱讀。


原文報道： News Story
26 July 2010


The European Food Safety Authority’s scientific Panel on additives, the ANS Panel, has assessed the safety of the red food colour Amaranth (E123), completing the re-evaluation of all azo dyes[1] authorised for use in the European Union[2] . EFSA’s scientific advice will help to inform decisions of EU risk managers in relation to food additives.

Amaranth is a red azo dye colour which can be used to colour foods such as aperitif drinks and fish roe. After reviewing all available toxicological data, the Panel concluded that the colour is not genotoxic (does not damage the genetic material of cells) nor carcinogenic. The Panel set an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI)[3] for the substance of 0.15 mg per kg body weight per day, lowering the ADIs previously established in 1984 respectively by the Scientific Committee on Food (0-0.8 mg/kg bw/day) and the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (0-0.5 mg/kg bw/day).

The Panel notes that while the mean exposure of adults is far below the ADI, adults consuming regularly extremely high amounts of Americano (cocktail of vermouth and red aperitif mixer) and aperitif wine drinks containing the colour at the maximum permitted level might exceed the ADI 6 times[4] . Children’s exposure was estimated to be around 30 times lower than the ADI. The Panel calculated exposure to Amaranth on the basis of the maximum levels of use permitted or reported by industry[5] .

In line with the European Commission’s request, EFSA started with the assessment of colours as part of its ongoing re-evaluation of the safety of all food additives authorised for use in the EU. In particular, the European Commission asked EFSA to prioritise the assessment of azo dyes colours following publication of a study (McCann et al in 2007[6] ), suggesting a possible link between certain mixtures of colours(including five azo dyes) and the preservative sodium benzoate and hyperactivity in children.