E151 - Brilliant black bn

At a glance

• What it is: a man‑made, water‑soluble black azo dye used as a colour additive.
• What it does: adds or restores an intense black or charcoal tone for a consistent look.
• Where it’s allowed: permitted for selected uses in the EU; not approved for foods in the U.S.
• Label names: E151, Brilliant Black BN, Brilliant Black PN, Food Black 1.
• Typical products: some confectionery and decorations, desserts, sauces, and certain fish roe products (in regions where it is allowed).

Why is Brilliant black bn added to food?

Food makers add colours to make products look appealing and consistent, or to restore colour that is lost during processing. In EU law, colours are a defined group of additives used “to add or restore colour” in foods.¹

What foods contain Brilliant black bn?

Where permitted, E151 may appear in selected confectionery (such as dark licorice‑style candies and decorations), desserts, savoury sauces, and in some processed fish roe to create a deep black appearance. In the European Union, it is an authorised colour within the food additives framework, which sets where and how colours can be used.¹ It is not approved for use in foods in the United States, so U.S. products will not list E151 on their ingredient labels.²

What can replace Brilliant black bn?

Depending on the food and shade needed, formulators often use:

• vegetable carbon for a natural, deep black
• Caramel colours: plain caramel, caustic sulphite caramel, ammonia caramel, or sulphite ammonia caramel for brown‑black hues
• iron oxides and iron hydroxides, including black iron oxide, in applications where they are allowed

How is Brilliant black bn made?

Brilliant black bn is produced by chemical synthesis and is supplied as a sodium salt of defined azo dye structures. In the EU, it must meet strict identity and purity specifications set out in the additive specifications regulation (for example, limits on impurities, dye content, and salts).³

Is Brilliant black bn safe to eat?

In the EU, a colour can be placed on the Union list only after a safety evaluation and if it meets the legal criteria for food additives; E151 is authorised for specific uses under this framework.¹ It also must comply with detailed purity specifications in EU law.³ In contrast, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved Brilliant Black BN for use in foods in the United States.²

Does Brilliant black bn have any benefits?

The dye does not add nutrition, but it helps manufacturers achieve a stable, uniform black that many natural colours cannot match across different recipes, heat steps, or storage conditions. That consistency can make products look the same from batch to batch.

Who should avoid Brilliant black bn?

• Shoppers who choose to avoid artificial colours in general.
• Consumers in the United States will not find it in foods because it is not approved there.²
• Anyone with medical advice to limit colour additives should follow their healthcare provider’s guidance.

Myths & facts

• Myth: “Brilliant black bn is banned everywhere.”
  Fact: It is authorised for certain uses in the European Union under the EU food additives framework.¹

• Myth: “It carries the EU hyperactivity warning.”
  Fact: The EU’s special warning about possible effects on activity and attention in children applies to six specific colours—tartrazine, quinoline yellow, sunset yellow FCF, azorubine, ponceau 4R, and allura red—not to Brilliant black bn.⁴

• Myth: “It’s derived from animals.”
  Fact: EU specifications describe it as a defined synthetic azo dye supplied as sodium salts; it is not animal‑derived.³

Brilliant black bn in branded foods

On ingredient lists, look for “E151,” “Brilliant Black BN,” or “Brilliant Black PN.” In EU markets, it may appear in dark candies, cake decorations, certain sauces, or black‑coloured fish roe products. In the United States, you generally won’t see it on food labels because it is not approved for food use.

References

Footnotes

1. Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives — EUR-Lex. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32008R1333 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. Color Additive Status List — U.S. FDA. https://www.fda.gov/industry/color-additive-inventories/color-additive-status-list ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 laying down specifications for food additives — EUR-Lex. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32012R0231 ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex V: Labelling of certain colour(s) — EUR-Lex. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32008R1333 ↩