Quinoline Yellow

This article is about the dye. For the musician, see Quinoline Yellow Electronic Musician.

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Quinoline Yellow is a yellow/lime green dye.

Quinoline Yellow has two forms:

• Quinoline Yellow SS, spirit soluble
• Quinoline Yellow WS, water soluble, a sulfonated form of the SS variety.

When used as a food additive, it appears on labels as (E104) in the European Union and elsewhere.

Possible health effects

On 6 September 2007, the British Food Standards Agency revised advice on certain artificial food additives, including E104.

Professor Jim Stevenson from Southampton University, and author of the report, said: "This has been a major study investigating an important area of research. The results suggest that consumption of certain mixtures of artificial food colours and sodium benzoate preservative are associated with increases in hyperactive behaviour in children.

"However, parents should not think that simply taking these additives out of food will prevent hyperactive disorders. We know that many other influences are at work but this at least is one a child can avoid."

The following additives were tested in the research:

• Sunset yellow (E110) - Colouring found in squashes
• Carmoisine (E122) - Red colouring in jellies
• Tartrazine (E102) - New colouring in lollies, fizzy drinks
• Ponceau 4R (E124) - Red colouring
• Sodium benzoate (E211) - Preservative
• Quinoline yellow (E104) - Food colouring
• Allura red AC (E129) - Orange / red food dye^[1]

The colourant is banned in Australia, Japan, Norway and the United States.^[2]

References

1. ^ Parents warned of additives link
2. ^ CBC News In Depth: Food Safety