Anthocyanins
A natural plant pigment extracted from berries, grapes, red cabbage and other colourful plants, used to give food a red, purple or blue colour.
What is it?
Anthocyanins are water-soluble flavonoid pigments responsible for the red, purple and blue colours found in many plants. As a food additive, they are extracted from edible fruits and vegetables including grape skins, blackcurrants, red cabbage, black carrots and elderberries using water, acidified water or ethanol. The extract contains a mixture of compounds, the most common commercial sources being grape skin extract and blackcurrant extract. They belong to the wider polyphenol family of plant chemicals.
What does it do?
Anthocyanins dissolve in water and colour food by absorbing certain wavelengths of visible light. The colour they produce shifts with pH: red in acidic conditions (pH below 3), purple at neutral pH, and blue-green in alkaline conditions. This makes them most stable and most vivid in acidic products such as fruit juices, yoghurt drinks and jams. Heat, light and oxygen all degrade anthocyanins over time, so the colour can fade during storage or cooking.
Where you will see it
Anthocyanins appear in fruit-flavoured soft drinks, fruit juices, squashes, fruit yoghurts and dairy drinks, jams and fruit preserves, confectionery and boiled sweets, ice cream and water ices, fruit fillings for bakery products, and some fruit-flavoured spirits and wines. On an ingredients label they appear as anthocyanins, anthocyanin, or E163.
What the science says
Cardiovascular markers in clinical trials
Multiple randomised controlled trials have found that supplementing with anthocyanins or anthocyanin-rich berries lowers LDL cholesterol, raises HDL cholesterol, reduces triglycerides and reduces inflammatory markers such as CRP and TNF-alpha. A meta-analysis of 44 RCTs and 15 cohort studies also linked higher anthocyanin intake with lower coronary heart disease risk in observational data. Blood pressure results are mixed across trials, with some showing small reductions and others finding no effect. Most trials used concentrated supplements at doses well above what a typical food colouring contributes.
Meta-analysis of 44 RCTs (2,353 participants) found purified anthocyanin supplementation reduced LDL cholesterol by 5.43mg/dL, raised HDL cholesterol by 11.49mg/dL, and reduced triglycerides by 6.18mg/dL versus control.
The same meta-analysis found a 17% lower coronary heart disease risk (RR 0.83) and 27% lower total CVD incidence (RR 0.73) in cohort studies, though approximately half of included RCTs had berry-industry funding.
32 RCTs (1,491 participants) found anthocyanin supplementation significantly reduced fasting glucose, HbA1c, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol; no significant effect on blood pressure.
Gut microbiome effects
Anthocyanins are poorly absorbed in the small intestine; most reach the large bowel intact, where gut bacteria break them down into smaller phenolic compounds. A meta-analysis of 34 rodent studies found anthocyanin-rich diets reduced the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes bacteria (a pattern associated with healthier metabolic state) and increased production of short-chain fatty acids. These findings come entirely from animal models, and human clinical validation is limited.
Meta-analysis of 34 rodent studies found anthocyanin diets substantially reduced the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio (SMD -1.80) and increased acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid production. All studies were in animals; human applicability is uncertain.
Only 1-2% of ingested anthocyanins maintain their original structure in serum; gut microbiota metabolise the majority into compounds such as gallic acid and protocatechuic acid, which may mediate observed health effects.
Toxicological data and EFSA's data gap
When EFSA re-evaluated anthocyanins as a food additive in 2013, it concluded that the toxicological database was inadequate to set a numerical acceptable daily intake. EFSA noted that estimated exposures from the additive use were higher than typical dietary intakes, and called for better characterisation data and further toxicological studies. This is a data-gap finding, not a signal of harm: EFSA said exposures from grape skin and blackcurrant extracts were unlikely to raise safety concerns, but the evidence base was considered too thin to draw firm quantitative conclusions.
EFSA concluded the toxicological database for anthocyanins (E163) was inadequate to establish a numerical ADI, and recommended that characterisation and toxicological data should be required to permit a further re-evaluation.
EFSA found that for anthocyanins extracted from edible fruits and vegetables by aqueous processes, exposures from current food additive use were unlikely to raise safety concerns; for anthocyanins from other sources or non-aqueous extraction methods, the absence of characterisation data meant this conclusion could not be verified.
Where it stands with the regulators
Who should be careful
No specific group is required to avoid E163. Anthocyanins are plant-derived and carry no declarable allergen under UK or EU food law. People with grape or blackcurrant sensitivities may wish to note that commercial extracts are frequently derived from those fruits; the label term to look for is anthocyanins or E163.
The honest read
Anthocyanins are pigments found abundantly in everyday foods including blueberries, blackcurrants, red cabbage and red grapes, so exposure from food colouring adds to a background already present in many diets. EFSA found the toxicological evidence thin enough that it could not set a numerical intake limit, which means there is a formal data gap, not a finding of harm. Clinical trial evidence suggests that high-dose anthocyanin supplements improve cholesterol and glucose markers, though most trial doses are far above what a colouring contributes and about half of the RCTs had berry-industry funding. The gut microbiome findings are promising but so far based on animal studies. The picture is one of an ordinary plant compound with a sparse formal toxicology record and active but still-developing research into its benefits.
Related additives
Common questions
Is E163 banned in the UK?
No. Anthocyanins (E163) are approved for use in the UK under the assimilated EU food additives regulation. The UK Food Standards Agency lists them as authorised in England, Scotland and Wales.
Why did EFSA not set an acceptable daily intake for E163?
In its 2013 re-evaluation, EFSA concluded that the available toxicological data were inadequate to calculate a numerical acceptable daily intake. This is a data-gap finding rather than a signal of harm. EFSA considered that exposures from grape skin and blackcurrant extracts were unlikely to raise safety concerns, but called for better characterisation and toxicological studies to allow a firmer assessment.
What foods contain E163?
Fruit-flavoured soft drinks, fruit yoghurt drinks, jams and fruit preserves, confectionery, ice cream, water ices, and some fruit wines and ciders. On the label it appears as anthocyanins, anthocyanin, or E163.
Is E163 vegan?
Yes. Anthocyanins are extracted from plant sources only: grape skins, blackcurrants, red cabbage, black carrots and similar fruits and vegetables. No animal-derived ingredients are involved in standard commercial production.
Sources
- UK FSA Authorised Regulated Food and Feed Products: E163 Anthocyanins
- UK Food Standards Agency: Approved additives and E numbers
- EFSA ANS Panel: Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of anthocyanins (E163) as a food additive. EFSA Journal 2013;11(4):3145
- Wallace TC et al. Anthocyanins, Anthocyanin-Rich Berries, and Cardiovascular Risks. Journal of Nutrition, 2020. PMC8714924
- Bisaccia G et al. Anthocyanin Effects on Vascular and Endothelial Health: Evidence from Clinical Trials. PMC10525277
- Kapoor B et al. Effect of anthocyanins on gut health markers, Firmicutes-Bacteroidetes ratio and short-chain fatty acids: a systematic review via meta-analysis. Scientific Reports, 2023. PMC9889808
- Advances in Nutrition: Effects of Anthocyanins on Cardiometabolic Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
- International Association of Color Manufacturers: Anthocyanins profile
- NATCOL: Anthocyanins (INS 163, E163)
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