NATCOL commissioned a revised and comparable exposure assessments for Anthocyanins from food colour additives, colouring foodstuffs and from natural occurrence in foods.
In April 2013 the EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS) published a Scientific Opinion on the revaluation of Anthocyanins (E 163) as a food additive (EFSA 2013). Information about typical and maximum usage of Anthocyanins in a range of food categories was provided to EFSA by NATCOL.
The ANS Panel concluded that exposure estimates to Anthocyanins via the regular diet are lower than the highest exposure estimates from the use of Anthocyanins as food additive and so the maximum permitted levels of Anthocyanins in grape-skin and blackcurrant extracts might need to be revised. The Panel also noted that there were no data to estimate exposure to Anthocyanins from colouring foods.
NATCOL has investigated use levels for Anthocyanins as colouring foods and the rates of occurrence of colour additive and colouring food applications.
These developments make it possible to produce revised estimates of exposure to Anthocyanins from natural sources, food additive use and colouring food applications that are directly comparable between countries. This report provides a new evaluation of Anthocyanins exposure based on EFSA food consumption data, levels of Anthocyanins in foods published in the EFSA Opinion and using up-to-date EFSA ANS Panel methodology. Information about the rates of occurrence of Anthocyanins in foods is also taken into account.
You can read the abstract or full report from the Taylor Francis Online website.