EU assessment of cochineal orange extract, dietary exposure or impact on children

Recently, according to the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), at the request of the European Commission, the European Food Safety Agency issued opinions on the exposure risk assessment of annatto extracts as food additives Carmine tree orange is a kind of edible natural yellow orange pigment extracted from mahogany seeds The main pigment components are Bixin and norbixin According to the assessment of EU expert group, the dietary exposure of mahogany is lower than the daily allowable intake for all people, while for children, at the highest level, the dietary exposure will exceed the daily allowable intake The EU exposure assessment mainly considers the existence and concentration of specific hazard factors in the diet, consumption mode, the possibility of ingesting problem foods with specific hazard factors and foods with high specific hazard factors Usually exposure assessments provide estimated intake / exposure ranges (e.g., average and high consumption) and specific consumer groups (e.g., pregnant women, children, adults, etc.) That is to say, the EU believes that the total amount of carmine tree orange in children's daily diet will exceed the allowable intake Basic characteristics of carmine tree orange Carmine tree orange is a kind of edible natural orange yellow pigment extracted from the seed aril of carmine tree originated in central and South America It is mainly composed of carmine tree orange (mahogany) and reduced carmine tree orange (reduced mahogany) In the false seed skin, there are a large number of cochineal tree oranges After eating into the human body, the first step is to hydrolyze the methyl ester group, transform it into reduced cochineal tree oranges, and then carry out a series of metabolic processes such as absorption and transportation Water soluble carmine tree orange is reddish brown liquid, block, powder or paste Soluble in water, alkaline solution, slightly soluble in ethanol It has strong heat resistance, can withstand 180 ℃ high temperature without discoloration and has stable color It is widely used and convenient for food coloring It has good affinity for milk protein and is suitable for cheese and dairy products Its hue is from orange to yellow, which can be used for meat, candy, baked goods, drinks, snacks, especially for coloring cooked meat products Oil soluble carmine tree orange is a red to brown solution or suspension The main pigment is mahogany Mahogany is orange Violet crystal, which is obtained by extracting seed epidermis with food grade vegetable oil The seed epidermis was extracted by organic solvent and then diluted by food and vegetable oil Application range of carmine tree orange in GB2760 of China The application scope of carmine tree orange covers ripened cheese, processed cheese, margarine, vegetable fat powder, frozen drinks, jam, chocolate, candy, batter, pasta, instant Cereals, instant rice and flour products, baked goods, western ham, meat sausage, compound seasoning, beverage, jelly, puffed food, etc., which can be said to be very extensive In our country, the usage of carmine tree orange is strictly limited, so it will not cause harm to human body But it is also used in sweets, jams, chocolate, puffed food, jelly, sausage, drinks and other children's favorite snacks, which may cause excessive intake for children Therefore, parents should also try to give children less snacks and replace them with more natural diet.