Ponceau 4R

Common card · No. 460474

Ponceau 4R (known by more than 100 synonyms, including as C.I. 16255, cochineal red A, C.I. acid red 18, brilliant scarlet 3R, brilliant scarlet 4R, new coccine,) is a synthetic colourant that may be used as a food colouring. It is denoted by E Number E124. Its chemical name is 1-(4-sulfo-1-napthylazo)-2-napthol-6,8-disulfonic acid, trisodium salt. Ponceau (17th century French for "poppy-coloured") is the generic name for a family of azo dyes. Ponceau 4R is a strawberry red azo dye which can be used in a variety of food products, and is usually synthesized from aromatic hydrocarbons; it is stable to light, heat, and acid but fades in the presence of ascorbic acid. It is used in Europe, Asia, and Australia, but has not been approved for human consumption by the United States Food and Drug Administration.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Yikrazuul, Public domain