Food additive databasecolorChecked 2026-10-02

Annatto Extract アナトー色素

Existing food additivePermitted in the EU (E160b)EFSA ADI 6mg（ビキシン）、0.3mg（ノルビキシン） per kg body weight per day

Purpose: color
On the label: “着色料（アナトー）” (colorant (annatto)), “着色料（カロテノイド）” (colorant (carotenoid)), “アナトー色素” (annatto pigment), “カロテノイド色素” (carotenoid pigment), “着色料（ノルビキシン）” (colorant (norbixin)), “着色料（ビキシン）” (colorant (bixin))
Name in the List of Existing Food Additives: アナトー色素 (No. 12)
Source and production: Obtained from the coating of the seeds of the annatto tree (“ベニノキ”) by extraction with heated fats and oils or propylene glycol, with hexane or acetone (the solvent is removed), or with a heated alkaline aqueous solution. The main pigments are bixin and norbixin, and it is yellow to orange.

In Japan

A yellow to orange pigment taken from the outer part of the seeds of the annatto tree, used as a colorant. On the List of Existing Food Additives (list of listed items), it is divided more finely into one whose main pigment is norbixin (“アナトー色素（ノルビキシン）” (annatto pigment (norbixin))) and one whose main pigment is bixin (“アナトー色素（ビキシン）” (annatto pigment (bixin))).
There is a standard for use common to colorants other than chemically synthesized products: they cannot be used in kelp (kombu), meat, fresh fish and shellfish (including whale meat), tea, nori (laver) products, beans, vegetables, or wakame seaweed.
Because it is a colorant, the purpose name is shown alongside, as in “着色料（アナトー）” (colorant (annatto)). “アナトー” (annatto), “カロテノイド” (carotenoid), “カロテノイド色素” (carotenoid pigment), and similar can be used as simplified or category names, and if the name contains the character “色” (color), the purpose name can be omitted. The similarly named “水溶性アナトー” (water-soluble annatto) (potassium norbixinate and sodium norbixinate) is a separate designated additive.

Japan's standards for use

Standard common to colorants (excluding chemically synthesized products): must not be used in kelp (kombu), meat, fresh fish and shellfish (including whale meat), tea, nori (laver) products, beans, vegetables, or wakame seaweed

This is a summary of the standards for use. See the source list for the exact conditions.

In the EU

It is on the EU list of food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II) as E160b.
In the EU, it is registered separately as E160b(i) (annatto, bixin) and E160b(ii) (annatto, norbixin).
In its 2019 evaluation, EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) set an ADI (acceptable daily intake) of 6mg（ビキシン）、0.3mg（ノルビキシン） per kg of body weight per day (EFSA FAF).

Sources

Checked 2026-10-02. Rules and evaluations change over time. This page is a translation of our Japanese page; if they differ, the Japanese page is the reference.

This page lists facts stated in laws and in evaluations by public bodies; it is not a safety verdict. Additives used in Japan are approved by the government, which sets the foods and amounts they can be used in. The ADI is a guide to the amount that is considered safe to take every day over a lifetime.

Other substances used as color

← Back to the food additive database