日本語
Food additive databasecolorChecked 2026-10-02

Potassium Norbixin ノルビキシンカリウム

Designated additivePermitted in the EU (E160b(ii))EFSA ADI 0.3mg（ノルビキシンとして） per kg body weight per day
Purpose
color
On the label
“着色料（ノルビキシンK）” (coloring (potassium norbixin, abbreviated)), “着色料（水溶性アナトー）” (coloring (water-soluble annatto)), “着色料（アナトー）” (coloring (annatto)), “アナトー色素” (annatto pigment), “カロテノイド色素” (carotenoid pigment)
Name in the List of Designated Additives
ノルビキシンカリウム (No. 304)

In Japan

  • A salt of norbixin, the main pigment of annatto pigment, and a water-soluble coloring (water-soluble annatto).
  • Under the standards for use, it cannot be used in kelp, meat, fresh fish and shellfish (including whale meat), tea, nori seaweed, beans, vegetables, or wakame seaweed.
  • Because it is a coloring, it is written with the purpose name, as in “着色料（ノルビキシンK）” (coloring (potassium norbixin, abbreviated)). Names such as “水溶性アナトー” (water-soluble annatto), “アナトー” (annatto), and “カロテノイド” (carotenoid) can also be used as abbreviated or category names, and if the name contains the character for “color” (色), the purpose name can be omitted.

Japan's standards for use

  • Must not be used in kelp (kombu), meat, fresh fish and shellfish (including whale meat), tea, nori seaweed, 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(ii).
  • In the EU it is registered as “annatto, norbixin” (E160b(ii)), and the potassium and sodium salts do not have separate E numbers.
  • In its 2019 evaluation, EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) set an ADI (acceptable daily intake) of 0.3mg（ノルビキシンとして） 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

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