E140 is a compound obtained chemically from natural ingredients, included in the list of European food additives as a colouring agent. Its chemical name is Chlorophylls and it takes on a green colour due to the presence of magnesium.

What it is used for and where

Food

E140 can be obtained from vegetables such as alfalfa, nettle or other varieties of grass, but 90% of this ingredient remains unidentified (1) even though, overall, the content is lower than the chlorophyll exposure from a normal diet.

References_____________________________________________________________________

(1) EFSA Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of chlorophylls (E 140(i)) as food additives. doi
10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4089