Food additive databasecolorChecked 2026-10-02

Gardenia Red クチナシ赤色素

Existing food additiveNot on the EU additive list

Purpose: color
On the label: “クチナシ赤色素” (gardenia red), “クチナシ色素” (gardenia pigment), “着色料（クチナシ）” (colorant (gardenia))
Name in the List of Existing Food Additives: クチナシ赤色素 (No. 92)
Source and production: Obtained by adding β-glucosidase to a mixture of an ester hydrolysate of iridoid glycosides and protein hydrolysate obtained from the fruit of gardenia.

In Japan

A red colorant made from the fruit of gardenia. Under the standard for use for colorants (excluding chemically synthesized products), it cannot be used in kelp (konbu) products, meat, fresh fish and shellfish, tea, laver (nori) products, beans, vegetables, or wakame seaweed products.
Because it is a colorant, the purpose name must be written alongside. The short names are “クチナシ” (gardenia) and “クチナシ色素” (gardenia pigment). If it is written with a name that contains the character 色 (color), such as “クチナシ色素”, “着色料” (colorant) can be omitted, but if it is written as “クチナシ”, it becomes “着色料（クチナシ）” (colorant (gardenia)). The short names do not tell you whether it is blue, red, or yellow.

Japan's standards for use

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

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

In the EU

It is not on the EU list of food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II), so it cannot be used as a food additive in the EU.

When it is labeled under a shared name

Gardenia Red may be declared on the label in the same way as “クチナシ色素”. See Gardenia color for details.

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

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