The world of food is colorful because they contain a variety of different pigments. When it comes to "pigment", most people will shake their heads straight: "Pigmented food should be eaten less, not healthy!". It is true that the problem of excessive food coloring in recent years is not uncommon. Moon cakes, canned foods, lo mei, beef jerky... all kinds of foods are “famous on the list”, and the pigmented candied fruit that broke out a few days ago has once again made consumers The artificial food on the market is discouraged. So is food coloring everywhere? The answer is yes. Pigments are widely found in a variety of foods, and humans consume a certain amount of pigment every day. How to enable consumers to correctly see the relationship between food coloring and human health, scientific propaganda is very important. Why use pigments in foods? Foods are color, fragrance, and taste. The color is ranked first, indicating the importance of color to food. Many natural foods have their own color, which can promote people's appetite and increase the secretion of digestive juice, thus facilitating digestion and absorption. However, natural foods tend to fade or discolor during processing and preservation. In order to improve the color of foods, food coloring is often added during the processing of foods to improve sensory properties.

 There are two types of pigments added to foods: synthetic and natural pigments. Natural pigments are food pigments obtained from natural sources and can be widely used for coloring various foods, but generally have less coloring power and stability than synthetic pigments. The synthetic pigment refers to an organic pigment obtained by an artificial chemical synthesis method, and usually has only a color developing effect. Compared with natural pigments, synthetic pigments are more vivid in color, are less fading, and are less expensive. They are widely used in production and are used for coloring such as candy, cakes and soft drinks. The advantages and disadvantages of food coloring on the human body The use of food coloring is to give the food a natural color and promote appetite to attract consumers.

In terms of health, natural pigments not only have the effect of coloring foods, but also a considerable portion of natural pigments have health benefits. For example, β-carotene can not only provide yellow color to food, but also provide vitamin A, mainly because β-carotene can be converted into vitamin A in the human body. However, it is too late. If you eat a lot of foods such as citrus and carrots in a row, it will cause excessive amounts of carrots, causing yellowing and other symptoms of the skin. However, if you stop eating for a while, it will automatically return to normal. Compared with natural pigments, consumers are more worried about synthetic pigments. It has many advantages in production and processing, but it has a major drawback, that is, it is toxic. These toxicities are derived from chemicals such as arsenic, lead, phenol, ether, chloride and sulfate, which can cause various degrees of harm to the human body. There are 9 kinds of synthetic pigments used in China, including amaranth, carmine, new red, lemon yellow, sunset yellow, indigo, bright blue, red, and temptation red. Numerous studies have shown that excessive consumption of synthetic pigments can be deposited in the liver, which can cause fertility decline or teratogenic conditions. Some synthetic pigments may also be converted into carcinogens in the human body, which may cause developmental disorders, hyperactivity, and even cancer in children. How to reduce the harm of food coloring In terms of consumers, when purchasing food, it should be based on nature. Fruits and vegetables contain no or less artificial colors. Do not eat or abuse artificial food for a long time. When purchasing food, Look at the food label first, try to choose products that do not contain pigments or natural pigments, and do not choose foods that contain synthetic pigments. When purchasing beverages, try to choose freshly squeezed juice, tea and other beverages. For blending juices, in order to add color, pigments are generally added. Do not buy food produced by informal manufacturers. Under the same circumstances, the pigments in well-known manufacturers will be more reassuring.

 The current Hygienic Standard for the Use of Food Additives has strict control over the types and maximum amounts of pigments that can be used. These regulations are intended to limit impurities in the pigment to reduce the toxicity to the human body. At present, countries are also actively researching and developing natural pigments to replace the application of artificial pigments in production. Although food coloring has potential harm, it has an indispensable role in food production and processing. Ordinary consumers should correctly and rationally consider the existence of food coloring. As long as they pay attention to the food, they can effectively avoid eating. The health "threat" of pigments.