A researched guide to what this category means on a UK label, the important subtypes, and all 63 entries in NutraSafe’s published library.
Colour: E100
CurcuminFood colours change or restore the appearance of food and drink. The code tells you the additive belongs to the colour group, but it does not tell you its source or how the evidence for that particular colour reads. A separate page lists which E numbers are banned in the UK.
This directory covers every additive classified as a colour in our published database. Open an individual entry for its aliases, regulatory position, research notes and cited sources.
The exact code matters more than the category headline. These are the distinctions that make the list easier to read without turning every additive into the same story.
Foods containing E102, E104, E110, E122, E124 or E129 generally need the statement “May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children”. That is a specific labelling rule, not a warning applied to every colour.
The group includes plant pigments, mineral colours and substances made or standardised through industrial processing. The E-number identifies the additive; it does not by itself tell you the source or manufacturing route.
Caramels and chlorophyll-related colours have closely numbered variants with different production methods or chemical forms. Read the suffix as well as the main number.
UK guidance says the ingredients list identifies what the additive does, such as “preservative” or “antioxidant”.
The specific substance can follow as a name or code. Both routes identify the additive; neither is a safety score.
That is where NutraSafe separates source, uses, current regulatory detail, research notes and citations for that code.
Current GB context: since 1 April 2025, the FSA’s electronic register has been the official public list of authorised food additives in Great Britain. An authorisation can include food-category limits and notes, so appearing in a directory does not mean unrestricted use in every food. Read the register guidance.
Showing all 63
This entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryAdds bright yellow or, mixed with blue dyes, green colour to food and drink.
Read the full entryIt imparts a greenish-yellow hue to food and drink.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryNot applicable.
Read the full entryThe carminic acid molecule binds strongly to protein and aluminium ions, producing a stable, heat- and light-resistant deep red to purplish-red colour.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryUsed historically as a food colourant to produce a red or scarlet appearance in processed foods.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryErythrosine dissolves readily in water and binds to food proteins, giving preserved cherries their bright artificial red colour.
Read the full entryAs a colour additive, it imparted a red hue to processed meat products, compensating for natural colour loss during manufacturing.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryAs a colour additive, it was intended to give an intense, stable blue hue to foods.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryIt dissolves readily in water and imparts a clear blue to blue-green colour across a wide pH range.
Read the full entryIt dissolves readily in water and imparts a vivid, stable blue colour to foods and drinks.
Read the full entryAdded to food to give or restore a green colour.
Read the full entryActs as a green colourant.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryIt gives foods and drinks a brown colour ranging from pale straw to near-black.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryGives food and drink a brown to dark brown colour.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryColours food and drink a deep brown and gives cola and similar drinks their characteristic colour.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryDeposits a persistent reddish-brown colour into the surface of smoked herring, masking the paler appearance that results from reduced smoking time.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryActs as a yellow-to-orange food colourant.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryThe carotenoid pigments dissolve into fats and oils, depositing a stable warm red-to-orange colour in the food.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryIt works as an oil-soluble colouring agent: dispersed in the fat phase of a food product, it imparts a stable yellow-to-reddish-orange hue.
Read the full entryAdded to food to give orange, yellow or red hues.
Read the full entryIt imparts a yellow to orange colour to food and drink.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryZeaxanthin imparts yellow, orange, and red colour to food.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryCrocin dissolves readily in water and imparts an intense golden-yellow colour to food and drink.
Read the full entrySantalin pigments provide a brick-red to deep-red hue.
Read the full entryIt scatters light across the visible spectrum, making foods appear brighter, whiter, and more opaque.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryIt acts purely as a colouring agent.
Read the full entryThis entry is filed under food colours in our published E-number A to Z.
Read the full entryIt provides an opaque black surface colour to food through light absorption by iron oxide particles.
Read the full entryActs as a surface colourant only.
Read the full entryActs purely as a surface colourant.
Read the full entryCoats the outer surface of food to give a shiny, metallic gold finish.
Read the full entryApplied as a surface colourant to the rind of hard and semi-hard cheeses such as Edam and Gouda to give a characteristic red or carmine appearance.
Read the full entryAs a colourant it imparts shades from red through purple depending on the pH of the food matrix.
Read the full entryNo matching additive in this category.
No. The UK warning applies to six named colours: E102, E104, E110, E122, E124 and E129, subject to the rules and exemptions that apply to the product.
No. E-numbers are identifiers for authorised additives and can cover substances from plant, animal or mineral sources as well as substances made synthetically.
UK label guidance says additives should be identified by their functional class and then by their specific name or E-number, so “colour: E100” tells you both why it is there and which additive it is.
The category explanation and label rules above were checked against official UK guidance, the GB authorisations register, legislation and EFSA background material. Individual additive pages carry the sources for their additive-specific claims.
Scan a barcode to see the additives in the ingredient data we hold, with a plain-English explanation for each one. The pack is always the final word.
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