E-numbers  /  Colours  /  E163e

Peonidin

also: Anthocyanidin (peonidin)

A natural plant pigment found in cranberries, blueberries and red grapes, used to give foods a red, purple or blue colour.

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E163eColour · Plant

Peonidin

Peonidin is an anthocyanidin, one of the six main pigment compounds in the anthocyanin family.

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What peonidin is, what it does and where you will see it

What is it?

Peonidin is an anthocyanidin, one of the six main pigment compounds in the anthocyanin family. It is the O-methylated form of cyanidin and the pigment responsible for the deep red and purplish-red colours in peonies, roses, certain morning glories, cranberries, blueberries, plums, and red grapes. In food use it operates within the broader E163 anthocyanins category. Its colour shifts with pH: cherry red in acid conditions, grape-red purple at neutral pH, deep blue in alkaline conditions.

What does it do?

Peonidin absorbs certain wavelengths of light to produce colour, acting as a natural dye in food and drink. Manufacturers use it to restore colour lost during heat processing or to standardise the shade of finished products. Like other anthocyanins it is pH-sensitive, making it useful for products across a range of acidic conditions.

Where you will see it

Peonidin and its glycoside forms occur naturally in cranberries (up to 42mg per 100g), blueberries, plums, red grapes and cherries. As a food additive, anthocyanins including peonidin appear in soft drinks, fruit-flavoured yogurts and dairy desserts, jams and fruit spreads, confectionery and gummy sweets, ice cream, breakfast cereals, baked goods and some alcoholic beverages. On a UK label it will appear as colour (anthocyanins), colour (E163), or simply anthocyanins. The specific sub-code E163e is not used on retail labels.

What the science says

Laboratory findings on cancer cells

In cell culture studies, peonidin-3-glucoside (a form found in grapes) slowed the spread of lung cancer cells and disrupted molecular signalling pathways involved in tumour invasion. Peonidin has also shown the ability to trigger cell death in breast cancer cell lines. These are laboratory experiments, not human trials, and researchers note that peonidin is rapidly broken down in the body, limiting how much reaches tissues after eating.

Peonidin-3-glucoside inhibited lung cancer cell invasion and motility in both cell culture and mouse-tumour models by blocking ERK1/2 phosphorylation in the MAPK signalling pathway.

2010Lab + animalNutrition and Cancer, Vol. 62, Issue 4, pp. 505-516

Peonidin caused cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and triggered apoptosis in cancer cell lines in vitro.

2024LabPMC11428540, review of anthocyanin anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects in vitro and in vivo

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity

Anthocyanins including peonidin show antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in laboratory models. A range of animal and some human studies across the anthocyanin family suggest potential cardiovascular and neuroprotective effects, though evidence from randomised trials in humans is limited compared with the volume of laboratory work.

Anthocyanins suppressed pro-inflammatory markers including IL-6, IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha in cell and animal models.

2024Lab + animalPMC11428540, review of anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects of anthocyanins

Dietary anthocyanins were associated with protective effects against cardiovascular disease in observational and animal studies; human RCT evidence remains limited.

2020ObservationalPMC7504512, Anthocyanins: A Comprehensive Review of Chemical Properties and Health Effects on Cardiovascular and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Toxicological database and ADI

EFSA reviewed the safety of E163 anthocyanins in 2013 and concluded the available toxicological data were not sufficient to set a numerical acceptable daily intake. No chronic toxicity, carcinogenicity or reproductive studies specific to peonidin were available. EFSA judged that exposure from food use was unlikely to raise concern, given the long history of dietary consumption of anthocyanin-rich foods.

EFSA's Panel on Food Additives concluded the toxicological database for E163 anthocyanins was inadequate to establish a numerical ADI; long-term studies on chronic toxicity, carcinogenicity, and reproductive effects were absent or extremely limited.

2013Regulatory reviewEFSA Journal 2013;11(4):3145 - Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of anthocyanins (E163) as a food additive

Where it stands with the regulators

Approved for use in the UK and EU as part of the E163 anthocyanins group
Legal basis
UK FSA approved-additives list (retained from assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008, Annex II). Authorised in England, Scotland and Wales as of 31 December 2020. Peonidin (E163e) is one of the six constituent anthocyanidins within the E163 umbrella; it does not carry its own separate approval number in UK or EU legislation. The sub-codes E163a through E163f are a taxonomic convention used in non-legislative sources to identify the individual anthocyanidin pigments; they do not appear as separately authorised entries in Annex II of Regulation 1333/2008 or the UK FSA authorised-products register. Authorisation is held exclusively at the E163 group level.
Permitted foods
Flavoured dairy products, yogurts and dairy desserts; Ice cream and frozen desserts; Confectionery including sweets and chewing gum; Jams, jellies and fruit spreads; Soft drinks and fruit juices; Alcoholic beverages including fruit liqueurs; Baked goods and breakfast cereals; Soups and some savoury products
Maximum levels
Quantum satis (no numerical maximum; used at the level needed to achieve the intended colour)
Safe-intake limit (ADI)
No numerical ADI set. EFSA 2013 found the toxicological database inadequate to establish one. E163(ii) grape skin extract has a separate ADI of up to 2.5mg/kg body weight per day.
History
Anthocyanins were first approved as food colours by the EU Scientific Committee on Food in 1975. EFSA re-evaluated E163 in 2013 and could not set a numerical ADI due to insufficient long-term toxicological data, though it concluded exposure at current use levels was unlikely to be of concern given the extensive dietary history of anthocyanin-rich foods. E163e (peonidin) is not individually listed in EU or UK food law; it operates as a constituent of the broader E163 anthocyanins authorisation. The alphabetic sub-codes E163a through E163f are a naming convention used in non-legislative consumer-information sources to identify the six main anthocyanidin pigments; they carry no independent legal status under EU Regulation 1333/2008 or the UK FSA authorised-products register, which list only the umbrella code E163.

Who should be careful

No specific group is required by law to avoid E163 anthocyanins. People who observe certain kosher dietary rules may note that grape-derived anthocyanins require supervision. Peonidin and E163 anthocyanins do not contain sulphites, gluten, or other commonly declared allergens. Look for anthocyanins or E163 on the label.

The honest read

Peonidin is one of the most ordinary colourings in the UK food supply. It comes from the same pigments that colour cranberries, blueberries and red grapes. The laboratory studies on anticancer effects in cell lines are genuine findings, but they are far removed from real-world dietary exposure, and no clinical trials have followed. The outstanding point from regulators is the absence of long-term toxicology data specific to peonidin, which is why no numerical acceptable daily intake has been set, even though the compound has been in the food supply for decades. The science on potential benefits is early-stage; the science on harm is thin. Neither picture is settled.

Common questions about peonidin

Is E163e banned in the UK?

No. Peonidin is one of the constituent anthocyanidins within the E163 anthocyanins group, which is approved for use as a food colour in the UK and EU. It does not have a separate E-number in UK or EU legislation but is covered under the E163 authorisation.

Why has no acceptable daily intake been set for E163 anthocyanins?

In its 2013 re-evaluation, EFSA found the available toxicological data too limited to set a numerical ADI. Long-term studies on chronic toxicity, carcinogenicity and reproductive effects were absent or insufficient for the anthocyanin group as a whole. EFSA judged that current exposure levels were unlikely to be a concern given the long history of eating anthocyanin-rich foods, but the formal data gaps mean no number has been fixed.

What foods contain E163e?

As a natural pigment, peonidin occurs in cranberries, blueberries, plums, red grapes and cherries. As a food additive it appears in soft drinks, yogurts, jams, confectionery, ice cream, and some baked goods, declared on the label as anthocyanins or E163.

Is E163e vegan?

Yes. Peonidin and all E163 anthocyanins are derived from plant sources and are vegan and vegetarian. When extracted from grapes, some Jewish dietary traditions may require rabbinical supervision of the grape product, but the compound itself is plant-derived.

Sources

Last reviewed: 20 June 2026

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