Toxicological and safety assessment of tartrazine as a synthetic food additive on health biomarkers: A review

Abstract

Recently, progressive use of synthetic food additives increase the attention paid on their benefit and toxicity in food, especially for the young. One of these additives is artificial azo dyes tartrazine. This study aimed to provide an outline of the existing evidence on the beneficial and side effect of food additive with special reference to tartrazine on different organ health. The methods include updated search for the relevant databases. The studies included a description of the types of food additives and products containing tartrazine and focused on the effect of tartrazine on liver, kidney function, lipid profile, oxidative stress biomarkers, nervous system, hyperactivity, behavior, cancer, reproductive and developmental toxicity and some bioelement levels of tartrazine. Several studies were identified and some investigated advantage and disadvantage of tartrazine. Summary of the study provides potentially harmful effects of tartrazine on liver, renal function, lipid profiles, behavior, carcinogenicity and forthcoming research recommendation are outlined. This review gives a broad evaluation of the safety and various toxicity effects of tartrazine. It can be concluded that there is a need for professional assistance for consumers regarding food safety issues. Cumulative indications have been increased, demonstrating the potential danger of tartrazine, and the possibility to avoid its consumption.

Ameliorating Effect of Vitamin E on Liver Damage Caused by Administering Tartrazine in Male Mice

“…Control group in which mice served as control were orally administered distilled water for 28 days, Vit E group in which mice administered daily 100 mg/kg vitamin E orally for 28 days soluble in corn oil 18 . TAZ group in which mice administered daily 300 mg/kg tartrazine dissolved in distilled water by oral gavages for 28 days 6 . TAZ+Vit E group in which mice received orally both 100 mg/kg vitamin E and 300 mg/kg tartrazine concomitantly for 28 days.…”

The effects of tartrazine on neural tube development in the early stage of chicken embryos

“…Some coloring agents are derived from natural pigments, like carotene or chlorophyll. However, coloring agents such as tartrazine, erythrosine, allura red are synthetically produced (10). Acceptable daily intake (ADI) of Tartrazine, established by the European food safety authority, is 7.5 mg/kg bw/day; however, the use of this additive is banned in Norway (6).…”

“…Additionally, it is found in soaps, cosmetic products, and crayons. Tartrazine is a nitrous derivate (azo class), and when consumed, it is reduced into an aromatic amine, a highly sensitized metabolite, in the body (10). Aromatic amines are oxidized to N-hydroxy derivates by p450 enzymatic system (5).…”

Chemical Contamination Pathways and the Food Safety Implications along the Various Stages of Food Production: A Review

“…However, these technologies need to be introduced and used judiciously because of their potential to cause food-related illnesses [ 24 , 25 , 26 ]. Food additives represent some of the innovations introduced in the food industry to alleviate waste and prolong the shelf life of foodstuffs [ 27 , 28 , 29 ]. It is estimated that each person may consume close to 3.6 to 4.5 kg of food additives on average per annum [ 30 ].…”

“…As shown in Figure 2 , the synthetic materials in food can be categorized into different sub-categories according to their function in the food i.e., colorants, emulsifying salts, flavor enhancers, acids, packaging gases, sweeteners, thickeners, etc. Moreover, food additives can further be classified as natural, synthetic natural, modified, and artificial additives [ 25 , 28 , 32 , 33 ].…”