Amaranth (dye)

Amaranth, FD&C Red No. 2, C.I. Food Red 9, Acid Red 27, Azorubin S, or C.I. 16185, is a dark red to purple azo dye once used as a food dye and to color cosmetics, but since 1976 it has been banned in the United States by FDA as it is a suspected carcinogen. It usually comes as a trisodium salt. It has the appearance of reddish-brown, dark red to purple water-soluble powder that decomposes at 120 °C without melting. Its water solution has absorption maximum at about 520 nm. Amaranth is made from coal tar.

Amaranth is an anionic dye. It can be applied to natural and synthetic fibers, leather, paper, and phenol-formaldehyde resins.

As a food additive it has E number E123.

Decertification
In 1969, Soviet scientists discovered that long-term usage of Red Dye #2, even at the low dosages found in foods, caused cancer in test animals. The FDA conducted its own tests, following the Soviet guidelines, with the results being inconclusive. The FDA banned FD&C Red No. 2 in 1976. FD&C Red No. 3 (erythrosine), FD&C Red No. 40, and Allura Red AC replaced the decertified color.