Effects of food colors on development of three model species, Cucumis sativus, Artemia salina and Danio rerio: a potential risk for the environment

Abstract Food colors, or color additives, are chemicals added to industrial food products and in domestic cooking to improve the perceived flavor and attractiveness. Of natural and artificial origin, their safety has been long discussed, and concern for human safety is now clearly manifested by warnings added on products labels. Limited attention, however, has been dedicated to the effects of these compounds on aquatic flora and fauna. For this reason, the toxicity of four different commercially available food colors (cochineal red E120, Ponceau red E124, tartrazine yellow E102 and blue Patent E131) was assessed on three different model organisms, namely Cucumis sativus , Artemia salina and Danio rerio that occupy diverse positions in the trophic pyramid. The evidence collected indicates that food colors may target several organs and functions, different in different species. Results demonstrated that the food colors examined are far from being safe for the aquatic organisms as well as land organisms exposed during watering with contaminated water. The overall information obtained gives a realistic snapshot of the potential pollution risk exerted by food colors and of the different organism’ ability to overcome the stress induced by contamination.