Food additive databasecolorChecked 2026-10-02

Tamarind Color タマリンド色素

Existing food additiveNot on the EU additive list

Purpose: color
On the label: “着色料（タマリンド色素）” (colorant (tamarind color)), “タマリンド色素” (tamarind color), “着色料（フラボノイド）” (colorant (flavonoid)), “フラボノイド色素” (flavonoid color)
Name in the List of Existing Food Additives: タマリンド色素 (No. 174)
Source and production: Obtained by extracting roasted tamarind seeds with an alkaline aqueous solution and then neutralizing (definition in the specifications). In the List of Existing Food Additives, the main component is listed as flavonoid.

In Japan

A reddish-brown to dark brown pigment obtained from tamarind seeds and used as a colorant. It is a separate item from the thickener/stabilizer “タマリンドシードガム” (tamarind seed gum), which comes from the same seeds.
A standard for use common to colorants other than chemically synthesized ones applies: it cannot be used in kelp (konbu), meat, fresh fish and shellfish (including whale meat), tea, nori seaweed, beans, vegetables, or wakame seaweed.
Because it is a colorant, the purpose name must normally be written alongside, but when the name contains the character “色” (color), as in “タマリンド色素”, the purpose name can be omitted. “フラボノイド” (flavonoid) and “フラボノイド色素” (flavonoid color) can be used as category names.

Japan's standards for use

Standard common to colorants (excluding chemically synthesized products): must not be used in kelp (konbu), 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 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

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