Brilliant Blue FCF (FD&C Blue 1)

A synthetic bright royal-blue water-soluble triarylmethane dye. Chemically the disodium salt of a sulfonated triphenylmethane compound, listed in the United States as FD&C Blue 1 and in the EU as E133. The dominant synthetic blue food dye worldwide.

Bright greenish-blue to deep blue free-flowing fine powder. Highly water-soluble, with the corresponding aluminum lake available for fat-based, dry-blend, and tablet-coating applications. Often blended with Tartrazine to create green shades.

We supply food-grade Brilliant Blue from manufacturers in China holding ISO, Halal, Kosher and other certifications relevant to the product and production. Both the soluble dye and the aluminum lake are produced.

Common market grades are sold by dye content: pure dye at minimum 85 percent total coloring matter and aluminum lake at 10 percent, 20 percent, 30 percent, or 40 percent dye content.

Bulk and reduced-MOQ shipments. Batch-level COA covering total dye content, subsidiary colors, uncombined intermediates, heavy metals, and microbiology.

Brilliant Blue FCF was first developed in the early twentieth century and approved for food use in major markets through the mid-twentieth century. It remains the only widely approved synthetic blue food dye in most jurisdictions, with Indigotine the secondary option.

Production proceeds by condensation of 2-formylbenzenesulfonic acid with N-ethyl-N-(3-sulfobenzyl)aniline, oxidation, and isolation as the disodium salt. The crude dye is purified by recrystallization and standardized to declared total coloring matter content.

Regulated as E133 in the EU and listed as FD&C Blue 1 in the United States with mandatory ingredient declaration. Approved by JECFA with an Acceptable Daily Intake of 6 mg per kg body weight. In the EU, products containing Brilliant Blue must carry the Southampton-related child-activity warning.

The technical profile is excellent: stable through baking, retort, UHT, and pasteurization; broad pH stability from 2 to 9; very good light stability; and compatibility with most food ingredients. Combined with Tartrazine in approximately 1:8 ratio produces the apple-green shades widely used in confectionery, gum, and lime-flavored products.

Strategically, Brilliant Blue remains the workhorse synthetic blue, with replacement options limited to the more costly and less stable natural blues (Spirulina, Gardenia Blue). Reformulation pressure is significant in major Western markets and demand remains strong globally.

• Soft drinks, sports drinks, and powdered drink mixes including blue and green flavor variants
• Sugar confectionery, gummies, and hard candies
• Bakery decorations, frosting, and fondant work
• Ice cream and frozen dairy desserts including blue moon and bubblegum flavors
• Pet food and aquarium feed for visual appeal
• Pharmaceutical capsules, tablets, and syrups
• Mint-flavored chewing gum and breath mints in combination products
• Cosmetics and personal-care preparations
• Surgical marking and medical diagnostic applications