Food additive databasecolorChecked 2026-10-02

Purple yam colour ムラサキヤマイモ色素

Existing food additivePermitted in the EU (E163)

Purpose: color
On the label: “ムラサキヤマイモ色素” (purple yam color), “アントシアニン色素” (anthocyanin color), “ムラサキヤマイモ野菜色素” (purple yam vegetable color), “着色料（アントシアニン）” (coloring (anthocyanin))
Name in the List of Existing Food Additives: ムラサキヤマイモ色素 (No. 290)
Source and production: Obtained by extracting the purple tuberous roots of yam (Dioscorea alata) with water or a weakly acidic aqueous solution at room temperature. The main pigment is cyanidin acylglucoside, which gives a purple-red color.

In Japan

A coloring agent extracted with water or similar from the tuberous roots of purple yam, with anthocyanin (cyanidin acylglucoside) as the main pigment. Under the standards for use of coloring agents (excluding chemically synthesized ones), it cannot be used in kelp (kombu), meat, fresh fish and shellfish (including whale meat), tea, nori (seaweed), beans, vegetables, or wakame seaweed.
If the name includes the character for “color” (色), as in “ムラサキヤマイモ色素” (purple yam color) or “アントシアニン色素” (anthocyanin color), the purpose name “着色料” (coloring) can be omitted. If the short name “アントシアニン” (anthocyanin) is used, the purpose name is written alongside it as “着色料（アントシアニン）” (coloring (anthocyanin)).

Japan's standards for use

Standard for coloring agents (excluding chemically synthesized ones): 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 E163.
In the EU, E163 (anthocyanins) is defined as a single group obtained from edible fruits and vegetables, with no separate category for each source plant.

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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