Ice cream is a volume expanding frozen food made mainly from drinking water, milk, powdered milk, cream (or vegetable oil), sugar, etc., with appropriate food additives added, through mixing, sterilization, homogenization, aging, freezing, hardening and other processes. It has a delicate, smooth and cool taste.

The freezers in the small shops on the streets and alleys are filled with various types of popsicles and ice creams, which are unique in shape and colorful, and are also loved by children. How much coloring does ice cream need to add? Will it affect children's health?

Food colorants belong to a large category of food additives, also known as "coloring agents". They appear in various colors such as red, yellow, blue, green, purple, etc. in their natural state, which can give food color.

Food pigments are divided into natural pigments and synthetic pigments according to their sources. Natural pigments are extracted and purified from plant, animal, and microbial materials. Common ones include gardenia yellow, red yeast, chili red, beet red, natural amaranth, natural carotenoids, etc.

Synthetic pigments are artificially synthesized through chemical methods, and their properties are usually more stable, including lemon yellow, sunset yellow, amaranth, carmine, indigo, bright blue, etc.

The use of pigments within the scope of standard regulations is safe for human health. Whether it is naturally extracted or artificially synthesized food pigments, they must undergo scientific evaluation by institutions before being approved for use, especially for artificially synthesized pigments, which require various toxicological experiments and strict safety assessment procedures to prove their safety.

Pay attention to choosing legitimate products and consuming them in moderation

Food coloring is not that scary, occasionally buying ice cream for children to cool down and satisfy cravings is no problem. But if you eat several ice creams every day, and even eat some colorful candies, snacks, drinks, etc., it's not advisable.

When buying ice cream for children, they should choose products produced by legitimate enterprises. Before making a purchase, pay attention to the relevant information on the product label. The problem with some ice creams that don't even have packaging may not be limited to coloring alone. Some even use non food coloring, which can pose a threat to children's physical health.

Shenfen Instrument CSY-DS8071Food color analyzerCan quickly detect indigo, bright blue, lemon yellow, sunset yellow, carmine, amaranth, rhodamine B, etc. Suitable for food monitoring centers, self inspection of food production and processing, food trade, and quality supervision departments for rapid market screening.