Food additive databasecolorChecked 2026-10-02

Gardenia Yellow クチナシ黄色素

Existing food additiveNot on the EU additive list

Purpose: color
On the label: “クチナシ黄色素” (gardenia yellow), “クチナシ色素” (gardenia pigment), “着色料（クチナシ）” (colorant (gardenia)), “カロチノイド色素” (carotenoid pigment), “カロテノイド色素” (carotenoid pigment), “着色料（カロチノイド）” (colorant (carotenoid)), “着色料（クロシン）” (colorant (crocin))
Name in the List of Existing Food Additives: クチナシ黄色素 (No. 93)
Source and production: Obtained from the fruit of gardenia, with crocin and crocetin as the main components.

In Japan

A yellow 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), as well as “カロチノイド” and “カロテノイド” (both: carotenoid) (and each with “色素” (pigment)) and “クロシン” (crocin). If it is written with a name that contains the character 色 (color), such as “クチナシ色素” or “カロチノイド色素”, “着色料” (colorant) can be omitted, but if it is written as “クチナシ” or “クロシン”, it becomes something like “着色料（クチナシ）” (colorant (gardenia)).
“クチナシ黄色素” (gardenia yellow) is excluded from the scope of spice extracts and is treated as a separate item (definition in the List of Existing Food Additives).

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 Yellow 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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