Lack of genotoxicity in vivo for food color additive Allura Red AC.
Bastaki M, Farrell T, Bhusari S, Pant K, Kulkarni R
Food Chem Toxicol. 2017 Jul;105:308-314. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2017.04.037

Determination of Allura Red in the Presence of Cetylpyridinium Bromide by Square-wave Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry on a Glassy Carbon Electrode.
Nagles E, García-Beltrán O.
Anal Sci. 2018;34(10):1171-1175. doi: 10.2116/analsci.17P555.

Measurement Uncertainty Assessment for Determination of Allura Red in Puffed Food by HPLC.
Chen Y, Zhao Y, Wang HM, Wang Q, Chen X, Xu DQ, Li T, Yu F, Wang XY, Liu JF.
Curr Med Sci. 2018 Apr;38(2):324-328. doi: 10.1007/s11596-018-1882-5. Epub 2018 Apr 30.

High dose Allura Red, rather than the ADI dose, induces structural and behavioral changes in the medial prefrontal cortex of rats and taurine can protect it.
Noorafshan A, Hashemi M, Karbalay-Doust S, Karimi F.
Acta Histochem. 2018 Aug;120(6):586-594. doi: 10.1016/j.acthis.2018.07.004.

Gold Nanorods as Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Substrates for Rapid and Sensitive Analysis of Allura Red and Sunset Yellow in Beverages.
Ou Y, Wang X, Lai K, Huang Y, Rasco BA, Fan Y.
J Agric Food Chem. 2018 Mar 21;66(11):2954-2961. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.8b00007.

Binding thermodynamics of synthetic dye Allura Red with bovine serum albumin.
Lelis CA, Hudson EA, Ferreira GMD, Ferreira GMD, da Silva LHM, da Silva MDCH, Pinto MS, Pires ACDS.
Food Chem. 2017 Feb 15;217:52-58. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.08.080

Degradation products of the artificial azo dye, Allura red, inhibit esterase activity of carbonic anhydrase II: A basic in vitro study on the food safety of the colorant in terms of enzyme inhibition.
Esmaeili S, Ashrafi-Kooshk MR, Khaledian K, Adibi H, Rouhani S, Khodarahmi R.
Food Chem. 2016 Dec 15;213:494-504. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.06.078

Evaluation of the in vivo genotoxicity of Allura Red AC (Food Red No. 40).
Honma M.
Food Chem Toxicol. 2015 Oct;84:270-5. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2015.09.007

Characterisation of interaction between food colourant allura red AC and human serum albumin: multispectroscopic analyses and docking simulations.
Wu D, Yan J, Wang J, Wang Q, Li H.
Food Chem. 2015 Mar 1;170:423-9. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.08.088

Binding properties of food colorant allura red with human serum albumin in vitro.
Wang L, Zhang G, Wang Y.
Mol Biol Rep. 2014 May;41(5):3381-91. doi: 10.1007/s11033-014-3200-z

The synthetic food colouring agent Allura Red AC (E129) is not genotoxic in a flow cytometry-based micronucleus assay in vivo.
Abramsson-Zetterberg L, Ilbäck NG.
Food Chem Toxicol. 2013 Sep;59:86-9. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2013.05.047

E129 or Allura Red AC is a chemical compound, a dye azo-derivative, water-soluble. (FDA clearance in 1971).

Description of raw materials used in production. 

• The raw materials utilized in the synthesis of Allura Red AC typically involve naphthalenesulfonate, phthalic anhydride, and benzenesulfonic acid among others.

Step-by-step summary of industrial production process.

• Preparation of Raw Materials. Raw materials are prepared and purified for use in the synthesis reaction.
• Synthesis Reaction. Raw materials undergo reactions in a controlled environment to form Allura Red AC dye.
• Purification. The crude dye is purified through various steps to remove impurities and other undesired components.
• Drying and Granulation. The dye is then dried and formed into a granular form for ease of use and transportation.

Form and color. FD&C Red No. 40 is a crystalline powder, water-soluble, and ranges in color from red to orange.

Commercial applications.

Food Industry. Widely used to color foods and beverages, providing a distinctive red hue.

Cosmetics and Personal Care Products. Applied in various products like lipsticks and shampoos to provide bright and appealing colors.

Pharmaceuticals. Used to color syrups, tablets, and capsules for easy differentiation and aesthetic reasons.

It has many synonyms, among which the most common is Red 40 or Allura Red AC and, in the list of dyes, CI 16035.

Safety

The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has approved the use of Red No. 40 and considers it generally safe when used according to guidelines. However, there are some concerns and studies suggesting it may cause allergic reactions in some people

The problem with azo dyes (monoazo or diazo) is photocatalytic degradation leading to oxidation and the subsequent formation of impurities such as aromatic amines, some of which have carcinogenic activity. (1)

Allura Red AC Studies

• Molecular Formula: C₁₈H₁₄N₂Na₂O₈S₂
• Molecular Weight: 496.416 g/mol
• UNII: WZB9127XOA
• CAS: 25956-17-6  64553-31-7  66813-73-8
• EC Number: 247-368-0
• PubChem Substance ID 329755751
• MDL number MFCD00059526
• Colour Index Number 16035

Synonyms:

• Allura Red
• Allura red AC dye
• C.I. Food Red 17
• Food red 17
• Japan Food Red No. 40
• FD and C Red No. 40
• FD & C Red no. 40
• CCRIS 3493
• CI 16035
• HSDB 7260
• E129
• CI 16035
• Food Red No. 40
• FD&C Red No. 40
• Curry red
• Fancy Red
• Allura Red 40
• FDC Red 40
• Red No. 40
• FDC Red 40 dye
• Food Red No. 17
• AC1O1BOF
• DSSTox_CID_4436
• FD and C Red No.40
• EC 247-368-0
• DSSTox_RID_77395
• DSSTox_GSID_24436
• Sodium 6-hydroxy-5-((2-methoxy-5-methyl-4-sulfonatophenyl)diazenyl)naphthalene-2-sulfonate
• 6-Hydroxy-5-[2-(2-methoxy-5-methyl-4-sulfophenyl)diazenyl]-2-naphthalenesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt
• disodium (5E)-5-[(2-methoxy-5-methyl-4-sulfonatophenyl)hydrazinylidene]-6-oxonaphthalene-2-sulfonate
• 6-Hydroxy-5-[(6-methoxy-4-sulfo-m-tolyl)azo]-2-naphthalenesulfonic Acid Disodium Salt
• disodium (5Z)-5-[(2-methoxy-5-methyl-4-sulfonatophenyl)hydrazinylidene]-6-oxonaphthalene-2-sulfonate
• disodium;(5Z)-5-[(2-methoxy-5-methyl-4-sulfonatophenyl)hydrazinylidene]-6-oxonaphthalene-2-sulfonate
• disodium;6-hydroxy-5-[(E)-(2-methoxy-5-methyl-4-sulfonatophenyl)diazenyl]naphthalene-2-sulfonate
• 2-Naphthalenesulfonic acid, 6-hydroxy-5-((2-methoxy-5-methyl-4-sulfophenyl)azo)-, disodium salt
• Disodium 6-hydroxy-5-((6-methoxy-4-sulfo-m-tolyl)azo)-2-naphthalenesulfonate
• 2-Naphthalenesulfonic acid, 6-hydroxy-5-((6-methoxy-4-sulfo-m-tolyl)azo)-, disodium salt
• Disodium 6-hydroxy-5-((2-methoxy-5-methyl-4-sulfophenyl)azo)-2-naphthalenesulfonate
• Disodium 6-hydroxy-5-((2-methoxy-4-sulphonato-m-tolyl)azo)naphthalene-2-sulphonate
• 2-Naphthalenesulfonic acid, 6-hydroxy-5-(2-(2-methoxy-5-methyl-4-sulfophenyl)diazenyl)-, sodium salt (1:2)
• 2-Naphthalenesulfonic acid, 6-hydroxy-5-[2-(2-methoxy-5-methyl-4-sulfophenyl)diazenyl]-, sodium salt (1:2)
• disodium 6-hydroxy-5-[(E)-(2-methoxy-5-methyl-4-sulfonatophenyl)diazenyl]naphthalene-2-sulfonate
• SCHEMBL324089
• SCHEMBL340786
• C18H14N2Na2O8S2
• CHEMBL3188816
• DTXSID4024436
• Disodium 6-hydroxy-5-((2-methoxy-5-methyl-4-sulfophenyl)azo)-2-naphthalene- sulfonate
• Disodium 6-hydroxy-5-[(2-methoxy-5-methyl-4-sulfophenyl)azo]-2-naphthalenesulfonate
• 2-Naphthalenesulfonic acid, 6-hydroxy-5-[(2-methoxy-5-methyl-4-sulfophenyl)azo]-, disodium salt
• 6-Hydroxy-5-((2-methoxy-5-methyl-4-sulfophenyl)azo)-2-naphthalene- sulfonic acid, disodium salt

References________________________________________________________________________

(1) Barros, W. R., Steter, J. R., Lanza, M. R., & Motheo, A. J. (2014). Degradation of amaranth dye in alkaline medium by ultrasonic cavitation coupled with electrochemical oxidation using a boron-doped diamond anode. Electrochimica Acta, 143, 180-187.

 Kobun Rovina, Shafiquzzaman Siddiquee and Sharifudin M. Shaarani  Extraction, Analytical and Advanced Methods for Detection of Allura Red AC (E129) in Food and Beverages Products  Front Microbiol. 2016 May 27;7:798. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00798.