Corantes declarados nos rótulos de produtos alimentícios comercializados no Brasil

Abstract

The use of additives in food products is previously authorized by specific legislation, with limits established by type of product, but there are few studies evaluating the exposure of the population to these substances. Among the additives, colorings, one of the first to be used in food. This study aimed to evaluate the types and frequency of colorings on the label of food products sold in Brazil. A cross-sectional study with a quantitative and descriptive analytical approach was carried out based on data from the list of ingredients of products from one of the largest supermarket chains in Brazil, collected through photographic recording of the labels. The frequency of use of colorings in 2311 food products (9 food categories) was evaluated. The presence of each type of colorings in products according to food category and subcategory, as well as the frequency of each coloring and its classification according to origin, were analyzed using descriptive statistics by simple and relative frequencies. Most products, 81%, contained some additive and 35% contained colorings. The categories with more products containing colorings were Sugars and products with predominant calories from carbohydrates and fats, Sauces and seasonings and Oils and fats. Most products in all categories studied do not have colorings, and when they do the presence of only one per product predominates. The subcategories chewing gum, broths, soups and creams, candies and cones and straws for sweets have 75% or more of the products containing colorings. Most of the subcategories of Cereals and pulses, Milk and derivatives, Vegetables and oils and Fats do not have any coloring. On the other hand, Sauces and Seasonings, Meat and Bakery Products and pasta have most of the subcategories containing colorings. With regard to the number of types of coloring, the Sugars category had the highest, followed by Milk and derivatives, Bakery and pasta, Cereals and legumes and Sauces and seasonings. The colorings tartrazine, twilight yellow, titanium dioxide, red allura Ac, brilliant blue FCF, sulfite ammonia caramel, annatto extract and curcumin were the most mentioned in the products. As for the origin of colorings, only the categories Sugar and Fruits and derivatives have more synthetic dyes, and in Vegetables and vegetables products no synthetic coloring was found, and in Oils and fats and Meat products, more than 90% of colorings are natural. In general, there is a predominance of the frequency of natural colorings, confirming the tendency of the food industry to replace synthetic additives with natural ones. The results revealed that colorings are used in different types of food sold in the Brazilian market, but that usually only one coloring is added per product. In addition, the most cited colorings are mostly of synthetic origin, predominantly in the categories Sugar and products with predominant calories from carbohydrates and fats and Fruits and derivatives, but that most food categories have a predominance of natural colorings. It is concluded that there are many colorants-free food products, synthetic colorants have been replaced by natural ones, and that there should be greater attention to the category of Sugars and their products, since it is the one that presented the highest amount of products with colorants, in addition to having a higher frequency of synthetics.