There is a written recipe for dying wool with indigo on a Babylonian cuneiform tablet dated to the seventh century B.C. Indigo, which comes from the indigo plant ( Indigofera), has been used for probably at least 4,000 years. What are the natural sources of blue dye? To find out more about the origins of blue food colorants used today, we spoke with Hamish McNab, a chemist at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland who specializes in the heterocyclic compounds used to produce a range of dyes. In February 2008, the company brought them back, using spirulina, a bluish mixture of two species of cyanobacteria, in lieu of the chemicals. Such concerns are behind the decision by the Nestlé–Rowntree candy company in England to pull its blue Smarties-an M&M look-alike-from shelves in 2005. medical journal The Lancet came to a similar conclusion, leading the European Parliament last July to order such products to carry a label warning consumers of the potential risk. 2, or "indigotine," on the other hand, is a synthetic version of the plant-based indigo that has a long history as a textile dye.Īlthough toxicology studies have demonstrated that both of these dyes are relatively safe, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and other advocacy organizations have long argued that these and other artificial colorings may be linked to attention deficit disorder (ADD). 1 is called "brilliant blue" and, as is typical of modern dyes, was originally derived from coal tar, although most manufacturers now make it from an oil base. 2-which are often combined in food products like M&Ms.īlue No. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved seven artificial colorings for food, including two blues: Blue No. We now know that natural red dye comes from bugs, but what's the story behind all the blue food we put into our mouths? Those versed in the chemistry of colorants will realize that's the same chemical that's in your blue jeans: indigotine. Look closely at the ingredients listed on the back of your M&Ms package and you're sure to see Blue No.
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