Sunset Yellow FCF (FD&C Yellow 6)

A synthetic bright orange-yellow water-soluble azo dye. Chemically the disodium salt of a naphthalene-azo-sulfonate compound, listed in the United States as FD&C Yellow 6 and in the EU as E110. Delivers a clean orange shade often used alone or blended with Tartrazine to produce intermediate yellow-orange tones.

Bright orange to reddish-orange free-flowing fine powder or granules. Highly water-soluble, with the corresponding aluminum lake available for fat-based, dry-blend, and tablet-coating applications.

We supply food-grade Sunset Yellow 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. Granulated and dust-controlled preparations are produced for handling applications.

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

Sunset Yellow FCF was developed in the early twentieth century and approved for food use in most major markets by the mid-twentieth century. It remains the dominant synthetic orange-yellow dye globally.

Production proceeds by diazotization of 4-amino-3-hydroxynaphthalene-2,7-disulfonic acid intermediates, coupling, and isolation as the disodium salt. The crude dye is purified by recrystallization and standardized to declared total coloring matter content. Aluminum lakes are produced by precipitation onto alumina substrate.

Regulated as E110 in the EU and listed as FD&C Yellow 6 in the United States with mandatory ingredient declaration. Approved by JECFA with an Acceptable Daily Intake of 4 mg per kg body weight. In the EU, products containing Sunset Yellow must carry the same Southampton-related child-activity warning required for Tartrazine.

The technical profile is excellent: stable through baking, retort, UHT, and pasteurization; broad pH stability from 2 to 9; excellent light stability; and compatibility with most food ingredients. A specific specification parameter is the level of Sudan I as an uncombined intermediate, controlled to below 0.5 mg per kg in food-grade material.

Strategically, Sunset Yellow occupies the orange position in the synthetic palette and is the principal target of clean-label reformulation programs replacing it with Paprika Oleoresin, Annatto, and Beta-Carotene depending on the application matrix.

• Soft drinks, orangeade, and citrus-flavored beverages
• Sugar confectionery, gummies, and hard candies in orange and amber shades
• Bakery products including sponge cakes, biscuits, and decorative icings
• Custards, instant puddings, and dessert mixes
• Snack seasonings and cheese-flavored coatings
• Apricot, peach, and mango fruit preparations
• Ice cream and frozen dairy desserts
• Pharmaceutical tablets, capsules, and syrups
• Cosmetics and personal-care preparations