Comparing E164 - saffron vs E102 - Tartrazine
Overview
Synonyms
Products
Found in 121 products
Found in 23,316 products
Search rank & volume
Awareness score
Search volume over time
Interest over time for 3 keywords in U.S. during the last 10 years.
Interest over time for 12 keywords in U.S. during the last 10 years.
Popular questions
What does saffron taste like?
Warm, hay-like and honeyed with a slightly bitter, earthy edge; it’s very aromatic, so a small pinch flavors and colors an entire dish.
Why is saffron so expensive?
Each flower yields only three stigmas that must be hand‑picked during a brief bloom, requiring tens of thousands of flowers per pound; limited growing regions and careful grading also raise costs.
What is saffron used for?
As E 164, it’s used to color foods yellow‑orange and add a characteristic saffron aroma/flavor, commonly in rice dishes, baked goods, confectionery, sauces, and some liqueurs.
Where does saffron come from?
It’s the dried stigmas of the Crocus sativus flower; most commercial saffron comes from Iran, with notable production in Spain, India (Kashmir), Greece, and Morocco.
How to grow saffron?
Plant Crocus sativus corms in late summer in full sun and very well‑drained soil; it prefers dry summers and cool winters and is propagated by dividing corms. Harvest in autumn when flowers open and dry the three red stigmas from each bloom.
Is yellow 5 bad for you?
At permitted food-use levels, tartrazine (FD&C Yellow 5) is considered safe by regulators (ADI up to 7.5 mg/kg body weight/day). A small number of people—especially those with aspirin sensitivity—may have hives or asthma-like reactions, and the EU requires a label about possible effects on activity and attention in children.
What is yellow 5 made of?
It is a synthetic azo dye: the trisodium salt of a sulfonated aromatic azo compound based on a pyrazolone ring (C.I. 19140). It is produced from petroleum-derived intermediates such as sulfonated anilines and a pyrazolone derivative.
Is yellow 5 bad?
For most consumers, no—it's approved and considered safe at typical dietary intakes. Rare hypersensitivity reactions can occur, and some children may be susceptible to small, reversible effects on behavior.
What does yellow 5 do to your body?
It primarily provides color and is largely excreted, with a small portion metabolized by gut bacteria before elimination. In sensitive individuals it can trigger hives or wheezing, and some children may experience mild, short-lived effects on activity or attention.
How is yellow 5 made?
Industrially, sulfanilic acid (or similar sulfonated anilines) is diazotized and azo-coupled to a pyrazolone derivative, then neutralized to form the trisodium salt. Lake forms are made by precipitating the dye onto an insoluble substrate such as aluminum hydroxide.