Classification of Food Colours
Which food additive is known to bleach anthocyanin pigments, resulting in loss of their red-purple color?
Which food additive is known to bleach anthocyanin pigments, resulting in loss of their red-purple color?
Try to answer before revealing the correct option and explanation.
Correct Answer
✅ B. Sulfur dioxide (SO₂)
Explanation
Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and sulfites (e.g., sodium sulfite, sodium metabisulfite, potassium metabisulfite) are commonly used as food preservatives and anti-browning agents. They react with the flavylium cation of anthocyanins to form colorless sulfonate complexes, causing a bleaching effect and loss of the characteristic red, purple, and blue colors.
Key Concept
Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) is the food additive most commonly associated with bleaching anthocyanin pigments through reversible formation of colorless sulfonate complexes.
Related Sub-categories
References
- Damodaran, S., Parkin, K. L., & Fennema, O. R. (2017). Fennema's Food Chemistry (5th ed.). CRC Press.
- Belitz, H. D., Grosch, W., & Schieberle, P. (2009). Food Chemistry (4th ed.). Springer.
- Fellows, P. J. (2017). Food Processing Technology: Principles and Practice (4th ed.). Woodhead Publishing
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