E101 is a colour on the list of European food additives and is basically Riboflavin, a vitamin belonging to the B vitamin group.
Riboflavin was discovered in 1879 in milk and looked like a yellow pigment. It is also called Lactoflavin. It is very sensitive to light and prolonged exposure could destroy it. In nature it is found in milk, fish, calf's liver, nuts, legumes, vegetables, cheese and brown rice. As the human body absorbs it only to a limited extent, it is necessary to take it from external sources.
Fuctions :
- energy production with carbohydrate conversion.
- processing of amino acids and fats.
- activation of folic acid and vitamin B6 functions.
- controls the proper functioning of the intestines, skin and mucous membranes.
It is a natural antioxidant that can play an important role in combating degenerative diseases that lead to ageing.
Industrially it appears in the form of a brown, water-soluble, thermostable powder.
What it is used for and where
Medical
It is widely used in medical science for the treatment of:
- Migraine (1)
- Cataracts
- Cornea (2)
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Certain skin diseases
- Complex II deficiency, a rare disease (3)
- Cancer prevention (4)
- Parkinson's disease (5)
Food
In the food industry, it is labelled with the number E101 in the list of European food additives, a food additive whose function is to colour foods bright yellow.
Cosmetics
Colorant. Ingredient whose primary function is to colour the solution in which it is inserted in a temporary, semi-permanent or permanent manner, either alone or in the presence of complementary components added for colouration.
Skin conditioning agent - Miscellaneous. This ingredient has the task of modifying the condition of the skin when it is damaged or dry by reducing its flakiness and restoring its elasticity.
The most relevant studies on this vitamin have been selected with a summary of their contents:
Vitamin B2 studies
Safety
Does not cause toxicity,
This is the EFSA opinion
The EFSA ANS Panel provides a scientific opinion re-evaluating the safety of riboflavin (E 101(i)) and riboflavin-5′-phosphate sodium (E 101(ii)) which are authorised as food additives in the EU and have been previously evaluated by JECFA and by the SCF. JECFA allocated a group ADI for riboflavin and riboflavin-5′-phosphate sodium of 0–0.5 mg/kg bw/day. The SCF considered that the use of riboflavin-5′-phosphate sodium as a food colour should not alter significantly the average daily intake of riboflavin for which no ADI was established. The Panel was not provided with a newly submitted dossier and based its evaluation on previous evaluations, additional literature that became available since then and the data available following a public call for data. The Panel considered that riboflavin-5′-phosphate sodium is rapidly dephosphorylated to free riboflavin in the intestinal mucosa and then metabolised using normal metabolic pathways. The Panel noted that no adverse effects were observed in two 90-day studies in rat and that riboflavin and riboflavin-5′-phosphate do not raise concern with respect to genotoxicity. The Panel also noted that there are limited data from clinical studies, in which no significant adverse effects were reported. The Panel considered that the use of riboflavins as food additives will result in an exposure above that from the regular diet and that the available database is insufficient to assess whether potential high intakes from all combined sources cause adverse effects or not. Due to the absence of carcinogenicity/chronic toxicity studies and lack of relevant reproductive and developmental toxicity studies, the Panel considered that it is not appropriate to allocate an ADI. The Panel concluded, despite the uncertainties in the database, that riboflavin (E 101(i)) and riboflavin-5′-phosphate sodium (E 101(ii)) are unlikely to be of safety concern at the currently authorised uses and use levels as food additives (6).
Synonyms :
- Lactoflavin
- Riboflavine
- 7,8-dimethyl-10-[(2S,3S,4R)-2,3,4,5-tetrahydroxypentyl]benzo[g]pteridine-2,4-dione
- 7,8-Dimethyl-10-(D-ribo-2,3,4,5-tetrahydroxypentyl)isoalloxazine
- D-Ribitol, 1-deoxy-1-(3,4-dihydro-7,8-dimethyl-2,4-dioxobenzo(g)pteridin-10(2H)-yl)-
- Isoalloxazine, 7,8-dimethyl-10-(D-ribo-2,3,4,5-tetrahydroxypentyl)-
- 1-Deoxy-1-(3,4-dihydro-7,8-dimethyl-2,4-dioxobenzo[g]pteridin-10(2H)-yl)-D-ribitol
- Ovoflavin
References____________________________________________________________________
(1) Sun-Edelstein C, Mauskop A. Foods and supplements in the management of migraine headaches. Clin J Pain. 2009 Jun;25(5):446-52. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0b013e31819a6f65. Review.
(2) Meek KM, Hayes S. Corneal cross-linking - a review. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2013 Mar;33(2):78-93. doi: 10.1111/opo.12032.
(3) Jain-Ghai S, Cameron JM, Al Maawali A, Blaser S, Mackay N, Robinson B, Raiman J. Complex II deficiency-A case report and review of the literature. Am J Med Genet A. 2013 Feb;161(2):285-94. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.35714.
(4) Wojcieszyńska D, Hupert-Kocurek K, Guzik U. Flavin-dependent enzymes in cancer prevention. Int J Mol Sci. 2012 Dec 7;13(12):16751-68. doi: 10.3390/ijms131216751.
(5) Coimbra CG, Junqueira VB. High doses of riboflavin and the elimination of dietary red meat promote the recovery of some motor functions in Parkinson's disease patients. Braz J Med Biol Res. 2003 Oct;36(10):1409-17. Epub 2003 Sep 16.
(6) EFSA DOI: 10.2903 / j.efsa.2013.3357
E101 
