Awareness of use of artificial colourants in sweets preparation and their harmful effects

INTRODUCTION

Colour is the first notable feature of a food and often predetermines the quality of the food.¹ Food colours found to have a natural effect which directly influences the choice of food by increasing the taste threshold, sweetness perception, increasing the appeal and acceptability.² There are natural and few traditional colours like turmeric, beets, saffron and Kashmiri chilli powder. But many of the shop keepers, restaurants and processed food manufacturers prefer artificial colours, because they are cheap, gives the product a deep colour and enhances visual appeal, quality and lost longer.^3,4 The awareness regarding toxic heavy metals present in artificial colours like lead and cadmium is very poor.⁵ The sweet manufactures do not realize adverse health effects like brain gliomas, tumours of urinary bladder and kidneys, thyroid cancer and hypersensitivity.^3,6,7 In India very few studies have been conducted though it is one of the public health problems hence the study undertaken.

METHODS

A cross sectional study was conducted in Kolar town. A sample size of 96 consumers and 20 Shopkeepers were included in the study. 20 sweet shops were identified and shopkeepers were interviewed. Further from each of the surveyed shop five consumers were identified by using Systematic random sampling method and were interviewed to collect information on awareness regarding colouring agents and their harmful effects. The study was carried out during the period from August 2016 to October 2016.

Inclusion criteria

Shop keepers and consumers aged above 18 Years willing to participate were included in the study.

Exclusion criteria

Shop keepers who were not available at the time of visit were excluded.

Statistical analysis

Data compiled in Microsoft excel and SPSS statistical software version 22 and was analyzed. Quantitative measures were presented by mean, SD and categorical data was presented by frequencies, percentages. Chi-square test was used as test of significance for qualitative data. P value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant

RESULTS

Among the consumers visiting the sweet shops 35.6% of them were in the age 15-30 years. Most of the consumers visiting sweet shops were Males (73.3%) and only 34.7% of them were illiterates. Among the shopkeepers in the study 60% of them were males and 75% of them studied up to PUC and above. Age distribution of the shopkeepers reveals that 35% of them belong to 41-50 years (Table 1).

Types of sweets commonly purchased by the consumers were mysore pak, badushah, gulab jamun, halwa, jalebi, milk peda (83-94.7%). The types of sweets prepared and sold in the sweet shops revealed that 95% of the sweet shops prepare and sell sweets like boondi, ladoo, burfi, jalebi, jahangir and mango shake.

Knowledge regarding the artificial colorants used in sweets preparations was poor among consumers visiting sweet shops (16.8%). Only 42.6% had the awareness of toxic metals present in the artificial colorants used in the preparation of sweets (Table 2).

The consumers had little knowledge (15-54%) about the various toxic metals present in colorants. Very few consumers were aware of metals like copper, arsenic (3-5%) present in colourants, the silver foil used in the sweet preparation, presence of lead, aluminium and Cadmium. Among the consumers only 46.5% of them were aware of the harmful effects of toxic metals present in the colorants (Table 2).

Knowledge of the harmful effects of colorants among consumers indicates that colourants used in preparation of sweets can cause bladder tumors (62.4%), kidney tumors (59.4%), thyroid cancer (13.9%), Brain cancer (10%), tumors of immune system (5.9%), and effects on nerve cell development (1%). Hyper activity (2%) and can also cause genotoxicity (4%). Most of the consumers got information regarding various harmful effects through newspapers and magazines (65.5%), television (54.5%). Consumers also mentioned that health professionals like doctors, health workers, nurses and others as source of information (Table 2).

** Fisher’s exact probability.

Most of the shopkeepers used yellow, green and orange colour in the preparation of sweets. 75% of the shopkeepers had awareness regarding the food colours and the forms in which they were available in the market. Only 45% of the shopkeepers preferred natural colours 35% used synthetic and 20% of them used both forms of colour in the preparation of sweets. Shopkeepers said that they used natural colours because of quality (60%), and safety. 75% of the shopkeepers knew the permissible limits of usage of colours in the preparation of sweets.⁴ Among the shopkeepers only 15% of them had the awareness regarding the toxic metal present in the artificial colorants. The shopkeepers aware that toxic metals like silver (15%), aluminium (10%) present in colourants, but none of them knew about the presence arsenic and copper. Awareness of various harmful effects of artificial colorants was only 15%, they knew that colorants can cause cancer of bladder, Kidney, brain, immune system, and also can affect nerve cell development (Table 3).

DISCUSSION

Most of the Consumers and children are fascinated by bright coloured sweets. Joshi et al and Roy et al observed that colour is one of the important constituent of food which determines the quality and acceptability of food products and also to enhance the visual appeal. ^{4, 8, 10} Study conducted at Karachi by Nidasaleem et al observed that younger generations are inclined to food and drinks having pleasant and bright colours. Bright colours increases the appetite, palatability of food and drink for the consumers.⁹ In the present study 43.6% of the consumers preferred bright coloured sweets. Lakshmi et al observed that bright colours indicate good quality and dull colour indicate lesser quality, not appealing.¹¹ In the present study the education status of consumers does not influence the preference for bright coloured sweets. (p=0.598) (Table 4).

In present study 82% of the consumers had the knowledge of use of artificial colorants in the preparation of various types of sweets and most of them (57.4%) are not aware of toxic metals in artificial colorants. Khanna et al, Sharma D et al observed that most of the artificial colorants used in sweet and other food items contain toxic metals like lead, cadmium, arsenic, cobalt, nickel chromium, copper, and manganese.^5,12

Present study revealed that 47% of the consumers were aware of the harmful effects of various toxic metals present in colorants and they knew that the colourants in sweets can affect the bladder, kidney, thyroid, brain, immune system, nerve cell development and can also cause hyper activity. Chauhan et al reported that synthetic colorants used in sweets preparation are coal or petroleum based and are not purified chemicals. These have harmful effect on health of the consumers and some of them are also carcinogenic in nature.¹³ Similarly Siva observed that the artificial colorants in food, can induce attention deficit disorder (ADD), inhibition of the immune system, hyperactivity and allergic reactions.¹⁴ In a study by Kapoor et al observed that prolonged use of artificial colourants causes hyper acidity, thyroid tumors, urticaria, dermatitis, asthma, nasal congestion, allergies, abdominal pain, nausea, eczema, liver and kidney damage and cancer.⁶

The shopkeepers in the present study mostly used yellow (90%), green (95%) and orange (70%) colours in the preparation of sweets. Other commonly used colours are red, saffron which is similar to the observations made by Joshi et al.⁸ Most of the shopkeepers in the present study had awareness regarding the food colours and the forms in which they were available in the market. Joshi et al made similar observations.⁸ Very few of them prefer natural food colour because it is not economical compared to synthetic colorants.^8,11

Most of the shopkeepers (75%) knew about the permissible limits of colorants used in sweets preparation, In a study conducted by Kapoor et al observed that in under developed areas many shop keepers were not aware of the permissible limits of colorants.⁶ Majority 85% shopkeepers were not aware of the toxic metals present in artificial colorants. In a study conducted at Bangalore by Singh et al found that food manufacturing industry were highly aware of food additive rules and whereas the consumer’s level of awareness was medium regarding the knowledge on food additive rules.¹⁵

Awareness among shopkeepers regarding various harmful effects of artificial colours was very low. Joshi et al in their study also observed that shopkeepers 47% of them were aware of harmful effects of synthetic colorants.⁸ Goswami et al observed in a study conducted at Kolkata that food items containing artificial food colorant contain high level of lead. The study found that there was lack of awareness among the consumers regarding the health hazards of the colourrants.¹⁶

CONCLUSION

The consumers prefer bright coloured sweets, majority of them had the knowledge of use of artificial colorants in the preparation of various types of sweets and they did not aware of the toxic metals in artificial colorants.

The consumers were aware of the harmful effects of various toxic metals present in colorants they were also aware that the colourants in sweets can affect the bladder, kidney, thyroid, brain, immune system, nerve cell development and can also cause hyper activity, genotoxicity.

Most of the shopkeepers had awareness regarding the food colours and the forms in which they were available in the market. Very few of them prefer natural food colour because it is not economical compared to synthetic colorants. Awareness among shopkeepers regarding various harmful effects of artificial colours was very low. Most of the shopkeepers knew about the permissible limits of colorants used in sweets preparation. But majority shopkeepers were not aware of the toxic metals present in artificial colorants.

Funding: No funding sources

Conflict of interest: None declared

Ethical approval: The study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee

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