YenzoWhat is E162 (beetroot red)?
It is beetroot red, a natural colour containing pigments of the betalain class, mainly betacyanins, including betanin. Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT lists it (Beet red, INS 162) with the function colour.
E162Beetroot red (betanin)
E162 is beetroot red (betanin), a colour extracted from red beetroot. In food it gives a red to purplish-pink colour.
Did you know? Beetroot red is a natural colour; according to EFSA, its betalain pigments are natural dietary constituents with a long history of food consumption.
- Code
- E162 · INS 162
- Group
- Colour
In Vietnam✓ PermittedOn the list of permitted additives — Circular 24/2019, Appendix 1
Risk level on the Yenzo Scalevery low?Based on the Open Food Facts additives taxonomy
How E162 appears on labels
IngredientsIllustrative example
Wheat flour, vegetable oil, salt, sugar, colour (162), dried onion and garlic, pepper, natural colour (160a).
colour (162)colour 162E162INS 162On Vietnamese labels: Beet red
Questions about beetroot red
Is beetroot red harmful?
In 2015 EFSA concluded that the available safety data were not enough to set an ADI for E 162. However, the colouring principles in E 162 are natural dietary constituents with a long history of food consumption, and the betanin exposure from the additive is in the same range as from the regular diet. EFSA therefore concluded that at the reported use levels E 162 is not of safety concern.
Is beetroot red permitted in Vietnam?
Yes. Beet red (INS 162) is listed in Appendix 1 of Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT, the list of additives permitted in food, with the function colour.
Can children and pregnant women have E162?
In 2016 EFSA noted that colours were prohibited in any food for infants and young children, including foods for special medical purposes. EFSA assessed a proposal to use E 162 at 20 mg/L (as betanin) in such foods for children aged 1–3 years and concluded that the extension would not be of safety concern. This source does not address pregnant women separately.
Other colours
E160Carotenoids (type not printed)very lowE160aCarotenesvery lowE160bAnnatto, bixin, norbixinlowE161bLuteinvery lowE161gCanthaxanthinlowE163Anthocyaninsvery low
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Sources (4)
- Open Food Facts additives taxonomy (Yenzo's table cites no EFSA opinion for this code). Open Food Facts additives taxonomy, https://github.com/openfoodfacts/openfoodfacts-server/blob/main/taxonomies/additives.txt (entry en:e162)
- Thông tư 24/2019/TT-BYT (văn bản hợp nhất 09/VBHN-BYT), Phụ lục 1
- EFSA Journal (2015). Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of beetroot red (E 162) as a food additive
- EFSA Journal (2016). Safety of the proposed extension of use of beetroot red (E 162) in foods for special medical purposes in young children