Explanation of most common food additives:
Benzoic Acid
A preservative, that occurs in nature in cherry bark, raspberries, tea, anise and cassia bark. First described in 1608 when it was found in gum benzoin. Used in chocolate, lemon, orange, cherry, fruit, nut and tobacco, flavorings for beverages, ice cream, ices, candy, baked goods, icings and chewing gum. Also used in margarine and pickles. Also an antifungal additive. Used as a chemical preservative and a dietary supplement up to 0.1 %. A mild irritant to the skin. It can cause allergic reactions such as asthma, red eyes and skin rashes, especially in people sensitive to aspirin. Listed by the FDA as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) in a reevaluation of safety in 1976. The final report to the FDA of the Select Committee on GRAS substances stated in 1980, that it should continue its GRAS status with no limitations other than good manufacturing practices.
Blue #1 Brilliant Blue
Brilliant Blue FD and C. A bright blue, coal-tar derivative, triphenylmethane. It is used as a coloring in bottled soft drinks, gelatin dessert, ice cream ices, dry drink powders, candy, confections, bakery products, cereals and puddings. It is also used for hair colorings, face powders and other cosmetics. May cause allergic reaction. On the FDA permanent list of color additives. Rated 1A – That is, completely acceptable for nonfood use by the World Health Organization. However, it produces malignant tumors at the site of injection and by ingestion in rats. Manganese dioxide is now permitted in the manufacturing process. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned in 2003 of several reports of toxicity, including death, temporally associated with the use of FD and C Blue No. 1 in enteral feeding solutions. In these reports, Blue 1 was intended to help in the detection and/or monitoring of pulmonary aspiration in patients being fed by an enteral feeding tube. Reported episodes were manifested by blue discoloration of the skin, urine, feces, or serum and some were associated with serious complications such as refractory low blood pressure, metabolic acidosis and death. Case reports indicate, that seriously ill patients, particularly those with a likely increase in gut permeability (e.g. patients with sepsis), may be at greater risk for these complications. Because these events were reported voluntarily from a population of unknown size, it is not possible to establish the incidence of these episodes. A causal relationship between systemic absorption of blue 1 and the reported serious and life-threatening patient outcomes (inclusding death) has not been definitively established.
Blue #2 Indigo Carmine
Indigotin. A royal blue powder, a coal-tar derivative, triphenylmethane, almost always contains sodium chloride or sulfate. Easily faded by light. Used in bottled soft drinks, bakery products, cereals, candy, confections and dry drink powders. Is also in mint-flavored jelly, frozen desserts, candy, confections and rinses and as a dye in kidney tests and for testing milk. It is a sensitizer in the allergic. Produces malignant tumors at the site of injection when introduced under the skin of rats. The WHO gives it a toxicology rating of B – available data not entirely sufficient to meet requirements acceptable for food use. Permanently listed for foods and drugs in 1987.
Brilliant Black
This food color was evaluated by the 1074 and 1977 Joint FAO/WHO Export Committee on Food Additives. Since the previous evaluation, additional data became available and was equivocal. The coloring did not cause tumors in rats and mice, but caused cysts in the intestines of pigs. Used in dairy-based drinks, flavored and/or fermented (e.g. chocolate milk, cocoa, eggnog, drinking yogurt, whey-based drinks) in Europe. A violet-black synthetic coal tar and azo dye. Used in decorations and coatings, desserts, fish paste, flavored milk drinks, ice cream, mustard, red fruit jams, sauces, savory snacks, soft drinks, soups and sweets. Not recommended for consumption by children. Banned in Denmark, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden the United States and Norway, BANNED in US for foods.
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifier, that have been associated with the contaminant 1.4 dioxane, known to cause cancer in animals. It is a condensate of sorbitol and oleic acid. A viscous liquid with a faint caramel odor and is used as an emulsifier, stabilizer and humectant. It prevents oil from separating from nondairy whipped cream and helps nondairy coffee whiteners to dissolve. It is also found in baked goods, ice cream, frozen custard, shortenings, and vitamin and mineral supplements. FDA residue tolerances in various products are from less than 0.1 % to 4.5 %. Polysorbate 40 is also widely used as an emulsifier of essential oils in water.
Red #1 Crystal Ponceau
BANNED, suspected carcinogenic and/or genotoxic potential
Red #3 Erythrosine B
Blulish Pink. A cherry red coal-tar derivative, a xanthene color, used in toothpaste, canned fruit cocktail, ice cream, hot dogs, barbecue potato chips, cereals, puddings, fruit salad, sherbets, gelatin desserts, cherry pie mix, candy, confections and mixes as maraschino cherries. Has been determined a carciogen. It was reported in 1981 by NIH researchers, that Red No. 3 may interfere with transmission of nerve impulses in the brain. It contains iodine and has been shown to affect the thyroid glands of laboratory animals, but not of humans. Children who eat large amount of artificially colored cherries, gelatin desserts and other FD and C Red No.3 colored products could be at rist. The FDA was supposed to permanently list this color in 1988 but postponed the ruling “to allow the agency additional time to study complex scientific and legal questions about the color before deciding to approve or terminate its use in food”. Now permanently listed for food and ingested drugs, its lake use was terminated Feb. 1, 1990. In 1996 Red No. 3 was found to be a cancer-causing additive and may contribute to breast cancer. Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Northeastern Illinois University reported Red. 3 causes breast cancer in the laboratory. When the dye was added to a human cell culture, genetic damage and rapid cell growth occurred even when the concentration of the dye was quite low. The cells responded as if they had been exposed to estrogen, which damaged genetic material and caused rapid reproduction. It is still permitted in food but its lake was removed from all uses while Red 3 itself was removed from the list for use in cosmetics and external drugs. The FDA has said, that it intends “to propose rescinding” its use in food and internal drugs. That was in 1990. Though FDA viewed Red No 3 cancer risks as small – about 1 in 100.000 over a seventy-year lifetime – the agency banned provisional listings because of Delaney directives. At the same time, Red 3 has “permanent’ listings for fod and drug uses that are still allowed although the agency has announced plans to propose revoking these uses as well. For now, red 3 can be used in foods and oral medications. Products such as maraschino cherries, bubble gum, baked goods, and all sorts of snack food and candy may contain Red 3
Red #40 Allura Red
Newest Color. Used widely in the cosmetic industry. Approved in 1971. Allied Chemical has an exclusive patent on it. It is substituted for FD and C Red No. 4 in many cosmetics, food and drug products. Permanently listed because unlike the producers of “temporary” colors, this producer supplied reproductive data. However, many American scientists fell that the safety of Red No 40 is far from established particularly because all the tests were conducted by the manufacturer. Therefore, the dye should not have received a permanent safety rating. The National Center institute reported, that p-credine, a chemical used in preparation of Red 40 was carcinogenic in animals. In rats, a high (3,800 – 8.350 mg/kg) oral dose of the coloring caused adverse reproductive effects. The FDA permanently listed Red 40 for use in foods and ingested drugs and cosmetics, including use around the eye area. Its lake se permitted only for drug and cosmetic use.
Yellow #5 Tartrazine
A lemon yellow coal-tar derivative, is a pyrazole color used in prepared breakfast cereals, imitation strawberry, jelly, bottled soft drinks, gelatin desserts, ice cream, sherbets, dry drink powders, candy, confections, bakery products, spaghetti and puddings. Also used as a coloring in hair rinses, hair waving fluids, and bath salts. Causes allergic reactions in persons sensitive to aspirin. The certified color industry petitioned for permanent listing of the color in February 1966, with no limitations other than good manufacturing practices. However, in February 1966 the FDA proposed the listing of this color with a maximum rate of use for 300 ppm in food. The color industry had objected to the limitations. Yellow No 5 was thereafter permanently listed as a color additive without restrictions. Rated 1A by the WHO – acceptable in food. It is estimated that half the aspirin sensitive people plus 47,000 – 94,000 others in the nation are sensitive to that dye. It is used in about 60 percent of both over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Efforts were made to ban this color in otc pain relievers, antihistamines, oral decongestants, and prescription antiinflamitory drugs. Aspirin-sensitive patients have been reported to develop life-threatening asthmatic symptoms when ingesting Yellow 5. Since 1981 it is supposed to be listed on the label if it is used. Its lake is for drug and cosmetic use only. There is reported use of the chemical it has not yet been assigned for toxicology literature.
Yollow #6 Sunset Yellow
A coal-tar, monoazo color, used in carbonated beverages, bakery products, candy, confectionary products, gelatin desserts, and dry drink powders. It is alos used in hair rinses as well as other cosmetics. It is not used in products that contain fats and oils. Since there is evidence that this causes allergic reactions, alcoholic beverages that contain it, must list it on the label according to the Bureau of Alcohol. Rated 1A by the WHO – acceptable in foods. Permanently listed Dec. 22, 1986. In 1989 a ruling went into effect, that it had to be listed on the labels because of its ability to induce allergic reactions.
Acid Orange
Aspartame
Nutra Sweet. A compound prepared from aspartic acid and phenylalanine, with about two hundred times the sweetness of sugar, discovered during routine screening of drugs for the treatment of ulcers. The G.D. Searle company sought FDA approval in 1973 and it was approved in 1974, but objections that aspartame might cause brain damage let to a stay or legal postponement of that approval. Another problem arose. An FDA investigation of records of animal studies conducted for Searle drug approvals and for aspartame raised questions. The FDA arranged for an independent audit, which took more than two years and concluded, that the aspartame studies and results were authentic. The agency then organized an expert board of inquiry and the members concluded that the evidence did not support the charge that aspartame might kill clusters of brain cells or cause other damage. However, persons with phenylkletonuria or PKU, must avoid protein foods such as meats that contain phenylalanine – one of two components of aspartame. The board did, however, recommend that aspartame not be approved until further long-term animal testing could be conducted to rule out a possibility that aspartame might cause brain tumors, The FDA’s Bureau of Foods reviewed the study data already available and concluded that the board’s concern was unfounded. Aspartame was approved for use as a tabletop sweetener in certain dry foods on October 22nd 1981. It was also approved for breath mints, hard and soft. As a flavor enhancer in chewing gum, hard candy, instant coffee and tea beverages, ready-to-serve nonalcoholic beverages, fruit-juice-based beverages, concentrates or syrup, for malt beverages containing less than 3 % alcohol, for frosting, toppings, fillings, glazes and icings for precooked baked goods. In 1984 news reports fueled by the announcement that the Arizona Department of Health Services was testing soft drinks containing aspartame to see if it deteriorated into toxic levels of methyl alcohol under storage conditions created alarm. The Arizona Health Department acted after the director of the Food Sciences and Research Laboratory at Arizona State submitted a study alleging that higher than normal temperatures could lead to a dangerous breakdown in the chemical composition. The author of this dictionary checked with representatives of the Food and Drug Administration. They said, that there are higher levels of methyl alcohol in regular fruit juices and as far as the agency was concerned, the fears about decomposition products were unfounded. Aspartame lowers the acidity of urine and therefore reportedly makes the urinary tract more susceptible to infection. In 1988, the Mexican government stopped soda and food processors from using nutra in the name, because it was “misleading”. The Mexicans also required labeling that carries the following warning “This product should not be used by individuals who are allergic to phenylalanine. Consumption by pregnant women and children under 7 years is not recommended. Users should follow a balanced diet. Consumption by diabetics must be authorized by a physician.”
MSG
Accent. Zest. The monosodium salt fo glutamic acid, one of the amino acids. Occurs naturally in seasalt of glutamic acid, one of the amino acids. Occurs naturally in seaweed, sea tangles, soybean and sugar beets. Used to intensify meat and spice flavorings in meats, condiments, pickles, soups, candy and baked goods. Believed responsible for the so-called Chinese-Restaurant-Syndrom, in wich diners suffer from chest pain, headache and numbness after eating a Chinese meal. Causes brain damage in young rodents and brain damage effects in rats, rabbits, chicks and monkeys. Baby-food processors removed MSG from baby-food products. Depression, irritability, and other mood changes have been reported. On the FDA list of additives needing further study for mutagenic, teratogenic, subacute and reproductive effects. Studies have shown, that MSG administered to animals during the neonatal period resulted in reproductive dysfunction when both males and females became adults. Females treated with MSG had fewer pregnancies and smaller litters, while males showed reduced fertility. The final report to the FDA of the Select Committee on GRAS Substances sated in 1980, that while no evidence in the available information on it demonstrates a hazard to the public at current use levels, uncertainties exist requiring that additional studies be conducted. In 1995, a report from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), an independent body of scientists that advises the FDA, identified two groups of people, who may develop a condition, “MSG symptom complex”. One group is those who may be intolerant to MSG when eaten in large quantities. The second is a group of people with severe, poorly controlled asthma. In addition to being prone to MSG symptoms these people may suffer temporary worsening of asthmatic symptoms after consuming MSG. The MSG dosage that produced reactions ranged from 0.5 grams to 2.5 grams. This report made the FDA propose that foods containing significant amounts of free glutamate (not bound in protein along with other amino acids) declare glutamate on the label. GRAS status has continued since 1980 while test were being completed and evaluated.
Potassium Nitrate
Potassium and Sodium. Potassium nitrate, also known as saltpeter and niter, is used as a color fixative in cured meats. Sodium nitrate, also called Chile saltpeter, is used as a color fixative in cured meats. Both nitrates are used in matches and to improve the burning properties of tobacco. They combine with natural stomach saliva and food substances (secondary amines) to create nitrosamines, powerful cancer-causing additives. Nitrosamines have also been found in fish treated with nitrates. Researchers at the Michael Reese Medical Center’s Department of Pathology in Chicago induced cancer in mice by giving single doses of one three-thousendth (0.3 micrograms) of a gram of nitrosamine for each gram of the animals weight. This is in contrast to the way other researchers have induced cancer in laboratory animals with nitrosamines by using repeated small doses or a single large dose. The tumors that developed were analogous to human liver tumors. Nitrosamines caused pancreatic cancer in hamsters, similar to human pancreatic cancers. Nitrates have caused deaths from methemoglobinemia (it cuts off oxygen to the brain). Because nitrates are difficult to control in processing, they are being used less often. However, they are still employed in long curing processes, such as for country hams, as well as dried, cured and fermented sausages. In the early 1970s, baby-food manufacturers voluntarily removed nitrates from their products. The US department of agriculture, which has jurisdiction over meats, and the FDA, which has jurisdiction over processed poultry, has asked manufacturers to show that the use of nitrates is safe. Efforts to ban nitrates have failed because manufacturers claim there is no good substitute for them. Nitrates change into nitrites on exposure to air. Our major intake of nitrates in foodstuffs comes primarily from vegetables or water supplies that are high in nitrate content, or from nitrates used in additives in meat curing. Nitrates are natural constituents of plants. They occur in very small amounts in fruits, but are high in certain vegetables, spinach, beet, radishes, eggplant, celery, lettuce, collards, and turnip greens – as high as more than 3,000 ppm. The two most important factors responsible for large accumulations of nitrates in vegetables are the high levels of fertilization with nitrate fertilizers and the tendency of the species to accumulate nitrate. Nitrites and/or nitrates are food additives when combined in curing premixes with spices and/or other flavoring or seasoning ingredients that contain or constitute a source of secondary or tertiary amines, including but now limited to essential oils, disodium inositate, disodium guanylate, hydrolysates of animal or plant origin (such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein), oleoresins of spices, soy products and spice extractives. Such food additives may be used only after the establishment of an authorizing food additive regulation. A food additive petition supported by data demonstrating that nitrosamines are not formed in curing premixes containing such food additives is required to establish safety.
Potassium Nitrite
Potassium and Sodium. Potassium nitrite is used as a color fixative in the more than $ 125 million a year cured-meat business. Sodium nitrite has the peculiar ability to react chemically with the myoglobin molecule and impart red-bloddedness to processed meats, to convey tanginess to the palate, and to resist the growth of Clostridium botulinum spores. It is used as a color fixative in cured meats, bacon, bologna, frankfurters, deviled ham, meat spread, potted meats, spiced ham, Vienna sausages, smoke-cured tuna fish products and in smoke-cured shad and salmon. Nitrite combines with natural stomach and food chemicals (secondary amines) to create nitrosamines, powerful cancer-causing additives. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has jurisdiction over processed meats and die FDA, which has jurisdiction over processed poultry, asked manufacturers to show that the use of nitrites was safe and that nitrosamines were not formed in the products as preliminary tests showed in bacon. Processors claimed there was no alternate chemical substitute for nitrite. They said alternate processing methods could be used, but the products would not look or taste the same. Baby-food manufacturers voluntarily removed nitrites from baby food in the early 1970s. The FDA found that adding vitamin C to processed meats prevents or at least retards the formation of nitrosamines. In May 1978, the USDA announced plans to require bacon manufacturers to reduce their use of nitrite form 150 to 120 ppm and to use preservatives that retard nitrosamine formation. Processors would have been required to keep nitrosamine levels to 10 ppm under the interim plan. But in August 19789 a new concern about nitrite was raised. The USDA and the FDA issued a joint announcement, that the substance had been directly linked to cancer by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology study. That work was later disputed. In 1982, amyl and butyl nitrites used by homosexual men were linked to Kaposi’s sarcoma and other abnormalities of the immune system. Researchers at the Michael Reese Medical Center linked infinitesimal amounts of Nitrite to cancer in young laboratory mice, especially in the liver and lungs. Dr. Koshlya Rijhsinghani and her colleagues gave single doses of one three-thousandth (0.3 microgram) of a gram of nitrosamine for each gram of the animals weight. This method differs from the wa other researchers have induced cancer in mice with nitrosamines by repeated small doses of single large doses. Nitrosamines also produce cancer in hamster similar to pancreatic cancers in humans. In 1980, the FDA revoked its proposed phase-out because manufacturers said, there was no adequate substitute for nitrites. In 1977 Germany banned nitrites and nitrates except in certain species of fish. However, a committee on Nitrite and alternative Curing Additives in food, formed by the National Research Council in the US concluded, that there was no single additive or process that could replace nitrite completely: “several chemical and physical treatments appear to be comparable in inhibiting outgrowth of Clostridium botulinum spores in types of meat products but none confers the color and flavor that consumers have come to expect in intrite-cured meats.” Until the all-purpose additive comes along or until consumers preferences change, the best compromise probably will be continued use of nitrite in conventional amounts with vitamin C and E added to block formation of nitrosamines, or the use of smaller amounts of nitrite in combination with biological acidification, irradiation, or the chemicals potassium sorbate, sodium hypophoshite, or fumerate esters, the committee said. To reduce nitrosamines in bacon, the US department of agriculture requires meat packers to add sodium ascorbate or sodim erythorbate (vitamin C) to the curing brine. This offers only a partial barrier because ascorbate is soluble in water and its activity in fat is limited. Vitamin E, however, inhibits nitrosation in fatty tissues. The committee suggested that both C and E be added to provide more complete protection. If you must eat nitrite-laced meats, include a food or drink high in vitamin C at the same time. For example orange juice, grapefruit juice, cranberry juice or lettuce. In 2003 the FDA put in abeyance, a request by the US department of commerce to permit sodium nitrite with white fish.
Saccharine
An artificial sweetener in use since 1879. It is three hundred times as sweet as natural sugar. Used as a sweetener. Odorless or with a faint aromatic odor. It was used with cyclamates in the experiments that led to the ban on cyclamates. The FDA proposed restrict saccarin to 15 milligrams per day for each kilogram of weight or one gram per day for a 150 pound person. Then, on March 9th 1977, the FDA announced the use of saccharin in foods and beverages would be banned because the artificial sweetener had been found to cause malignant bladder tumors in laboratory animals. The ban was based on the findings of a study to sponsored by the Canadian government that found that seven out of thirty eight animals developed tumors, three of them malignant. In addition, one hundred off-spring were fed saccharine, and fourteen of them developed bladder tumors. In contrast, one hundred control rats were not fed saccharin and only two developed tumors. At the time of the FDA’s announcement, 5 million pounds of saccharin were being consumed per year. 74 percent of it in diet soda. 14 percent in dietetic food and 12 percent as a tabletop replacement for sugar. There was an immediate outcry, led vociferously by the Calorie Control Council, an organization made up of commercial producers and users of saccharin. The FDA, urged by Congress, then delayed the ban. The moratorium on prohibiting the use of saccharin has been extended indefinitely. Since 1977, however, saccharin containers carry labels warning that saccharin may be hazardous to your health. Saccharin has exhibited mutagenic activity (genetic changes) in the early-warning Ames Test for carcinogens. When administered orally to mice, mutagenic activity was demonstrated in the urine of these animals as well as in tissue tests. Highly purified saccharin was not mutagenic in tissue tests, but the urine of mice fed saccharin was. Congress’s office of Technology Assessment, in view of the evidence to date, strongly endorsed the scientific basis of the FDA’s proposed ban. “This review of animal studies leads to the conclusion, that saccharin is carcinogenic for animals”, the FDA panel said. Clouding the degree of risk, however, is that up to 20 ppm of unknown chemical impurities contaminated those doses fed the rats in the Canadian study that led to the FDA’s original move. The impurities themselves proved mutagenic in the Ames Test. On November 6th 1978, the committee of the institute of medicine and national research council concluded, that saccharin is a potential carcinogen in humans. The extremely low potency of saccharin as a carciogen was emphasized by the committee. However, they expressed special concern that children under ten years of age were consuming diet sodas and other saccharin-containing products in increasing amounts. Exposure in children the committee noted, may have special significance because of the long time required for some cancers to develop. There were some “worrisome data” regarding consumption about fetal exposure grew out of earlier findings of increased bladder cancers in male rats fed high-saccharin diets or born to mothers that were on high saccharin diets during pregnancy. The committee concluded, that it is most likely that saccharin itself is the carcinogenic additive, rather than any impurities that may be associated with its manufacture. The fight to keep saccharin on the market spotlighted the Delaney Amendment, which prohibits known carcinogens from being added to food, and a move to weaken that amendment persists. In 1969, Britain banned saccharin except as an artificial sweetener. In 1950, France banned it except as a nonprescription drug. Germany restricts its use to certain foods and beverages, which must state on the label that it is in the product. In 1997, the Caloric Council, a trade group, successfully requested the National Toxicology Program to review new data to lead to a delisting of saccharin as a carcinogen. In 2003, the FDA continued its approval of saccharin use.
Sodium Metabisulfite
An inorganic salt. A bacterial inhibitor in wine, ale and beer. An antifermentative in sugar and syrups. A preservative in fruit and vegetable juices. Antibrowning additive in cut fruits, frozen apples, dried fruits, prepared fruit pie mix, peeled potatoes, and maraschino cherries. The final report to the FDA of the Select Committee on GRAS Substances stated in 1980 that the additive did not present a hazard when used at present levels but that increased use would require additional safety data.
Green #3 Fast Green
A sea green color permanently listed for use in food, drugs, and cosmetics, except in the area of the eyes by the FDA in 1983. Used as a coloring in mint-flavored jelly, frozen desserts, gelatin desserts, candy, confections, baked products, and cereals. Has been suspected of being a sensitizer in the allergic. On the FDA permanent list of approved color additives. Produces malignant tumors at the site of injection when introduced under the skin of rats. The WHO gives it a toxicology rating of 1A, meaning, that it is completely acceptable.
Sodium Sulfite
White to tan-pink, odorless or nearly odorless powder having a cooling, salty, sulfurlike taste. An antiseptic, preservative and antioxidant used as a bacterial inhibitor in wine-brewing and distilled beverage industry. Also an antifermentative in the sugar and syrup industries and a browning inhibitor in cut fruits, used in frozen apples, dried fruit, prepared fruit pie mix, peeled potatoes, maraschine cherries and glaceed fruits. Foods and drinks containing sulfites may release sulfur dioxide. If this is inhaled by people who suffer from asthma, it can trigger an asthmatic attack. Sulfites are known to cause stomach irritation, nausea, diarrhea, skin rash, or swelling in sulfite-sensitive people. People whose kidneys or livers are impaired may not be able to produce the enzymes that break down sulfites in the body. Sulfites may destroy thiamin and consequently are not added to foods that are sources of this B vitamin. The final report to the FDA of the Select Committee on GRAS Substances stated in 1980, that it did not present a hazard when used at present levels but that additional data would be necessary if a significant increase in consumption occurred.
Sorbic Acid
Acetic Acid. Hexadienic Acid. Hexadienic Acid Sorbitat. A white, free flowing powder obtained from the berries of the mountain ash. It is also made from chemicals in the factory. It is used in cosmetics as a preservative and humectant. A mold and yeast inhibitor. It is used in foods, especially cheeses and beverages. It is also used in baked goods, chocolate syrup, fresh fruit cocktail, soda-fountain-type syrups, tangerine puree (sherbet base), salads (potato, macaroni, coleslaw, gelatin), cheesecake, pie fillings, cake, cheese in consumer-sized packages, and artificially sweetened jellies and preserves. Percentages range from 0.003 percent in beverages to 0.2 percent in cheeses. Practically nontoxic but may cause skin irritation in susceptible people. When injected under the skin in 2,600-milligrams doses per kilogram of body weight, it caused cancer in rodents. The final report to the FDA of the Select Committee on GRAS Substances stated in 1980 that it should continue its GRAS status with no limitations other than good manufacturing practices.
