Tartrazine - Yellow Dye 5

What is Tartrazine?

May 19, 2010- Tartrazine - The yellow food dye 5 or yellow dye 5, is a yellow colored food coloring, Tartrazine has E number 102 and is a very popular synthetic food dye. It is, also known as lemon yellow azo dye, a common food coloring that is used in a number of countries across the world. The color is also used with Brilliant Blue FCF and E142 Green S to produce different shades of blue and green. Apart from being a yellow 5 food coloring agent ( fd&c yellow no 5 lake), tartrazine also finds uses in many other applications like medicinal capsules and syrups, cold, stored beverages, pudding, ice creams and other bakery products. Among other industries using tartrazine – the lemon yellow azo dye in cosmetics like soaps, shampoos, creams, etc.

Chemical Structure of Tartrazine

Tartrazine's E number is E102 and C.I. Is 19140. As per wikipedea, it has a maximum absorbance in an aqueous solution at 427, plus or minus 2 nm. It's formal chemical name of tartrazine (IUPAC) is Trisodium (E)-5-oxo-1-(4-sulfonatophenyl)-4-((4-sulfonatophenyl)diazenyl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylate. Its molecular mass is 534.3 g/mol. As mentioned above its popular name is fd&c yellow 5.

Uses Of Tartrazine

Tartrazine is a useful synthetic yellow food coloring. It finds used beyond the food industry as well. Tartrazine uses in the food industry are numerous though. Lets have a quick look at the uses of tartrazine across the various industries.

• Confectionery products like cakes, cake mixes, puddings, pastries, jams, jellies, custards commonly use tartrazine yellow food coloring.
• Packed and canned foods like breakfast cereals, chips, packaged drinks and snacks like pies and puddings, candies and carbonated beverages also contain tartrazine.
• Pickles, rice, soups, cereals, yogurt, noodles, ice creams are some other foods that have tartrazine coloring content.
• It is found in cosmetics and beauty products like shampoos, conditioners, soaps, creams, moisturizers, hand sanitizers, etc.
• It is also use as synthetic yellow dye in medications like syrups, capsules, vitamins, etc.

Tartrazine Allergies & Side Effects

Even though tartrazine is used in so many commonly sold food products, it is not free of ill effects. Tartrazine causes a number of allergies, side effects and intolerance reaction. People with asthma and aspirin intolerances are majorly prone to the tartrazine allergies and harmful reactions. Symptoms that mark tartrazine allergies are indigestion, anxiety, migraine, clinical depression ,weakness, patches on skin, sleeping disorders, vision disorders, etc. Tartrazine yellow 5 dye has also been responsible for hyperactivity in kids and associated with cases of thyroid cancer. Although tartrazine is mostly harmful, but sensitivity to its intolerance reactions might vary from individual to individual.