Author: Alexander Bruni
Time for reading: ~1
minutes
Last Updated:
August 08, 2022
E102, or tartrazine, gives a pleasant yellow color, but exacerbates asthma and allergies.
E102 are initials that can be found on the labels of many foods. A trace of the existence of this supplement is very important for people with asthma or increased allergic attitude .
E102 is the code for the substance tartrazine , widely used in the food industry. As the code suggests, tatrazine is a dye (all food additives labeled E and the first digit 1 are colorants).
Tartrazine has a very pleasant yellow color and is used to improve the color of various foods - pastries, soft drinks, snacks, jellies, instant soups and more. Alas, in many cases tartrazine is also used to restore the lost yellow color of food that has remained and accordingly lightened.
E102 is approved for use in the food industry in both the United States and the European Union. However, the lack of a ban does not mean that it is completely safe, especially in high doses . This is the reason why, due to individual decisions of the local authorities, the additive E102 is not used in Austria and Norway.
Studies have associated excessive tartrazine intake with hyperactivity , confusion and other behavioral patterns in children . However, there is evidence of more serious health consequences. Tartrazine has been shown to act as an allergen and can trigger an asthma attack or at least provoke skin rashes in children and adults with a high allergy. So food products labeled E102 content on their label must not be avoided by asthmatics and people with food allergies.
There is evidence that hypersensitivity to tartrazine is very common in people with intolerance to acetylsalicylic acid ( aspirin ), ie. both conditions occur simultaneously. Therefore, people allergic to aspirin should also not eat foods containing E102.
These features are the reason why E102 is on the list of potentially dangerous food additives , which, however, are not banned for use in the food industry. And in addition to tartrazine, this list includes many more of the so-called The ones we will point out in the future. This requires individual vigilance to avoid the consumption of certain foods by people predisposed to the potential consequences of supplements in them.
As a preventive measure, there is a very positive tendency to replace the use of E102 in some cases with organic compounds that give the same pleasant yellow color, such as beta carotene .