Food additive databasecolorChecked 2026-10-02

Onion Color タマネギ色素

Existing food additiveNot on the EU additive list

Purpose: color
On the label: “タマネギ色素” (onion pigment), “フラボノイド色素” (flavonoid pigment), “野菜色素” (vegetable pigment), “着色料（フラボノイド）” (colorant (flavonoid))
Name in the List of Existing Food Additives: タマネギ色素 (No. 173)
Source and production: Obtained from onion bulbs by extraction with water or aqueous ethanol, or by extraction with an alkaline aqueous solution followed by neutralization. The main pigment is quercetin (a flavonoid). It may contain dextrin or lactose.

In Japan

A brownish pigment with quercetin as the main component, obtained by extraction from onion bulbs (the part that is eaten), and used as a colorant.
There is a standard for use common to colorants other than chemically synthesized ones: they cannot be used in kelp (kombu), meat, fresh fish and shellfish (including whale meat), tea, nori seaweed, beans, vegetables, and wakame seaweed.
The category names are “フラボノイド” (flavonoid), “フラボノイド色素” (flavonoid pigment), and “野菜色素” (vegetable pigment). If the name contains the character for “color” (色), the purpose name “着色料” (colorant) can be omitted.

Japan's standards for use

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

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.

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