Curcumin Extract | whatsinit

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Curcumin extract is an orange-yellow polyphenolic pigment derived from the dried rhizome of Curcuma longa (turmeric), composed primarily of curcuminoids (curcumin, desmethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin). It is used as a natural food colourant and flavouring agent, imparting characteristic yellow-orange colour to foods and beverages.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

JECFA established an ADI of 0–3 mg/kg body weight/day in 2004, re-confirmed by EFSA in 2010; curcumin is considered neither carcinogenic nor genotoxic at food-use levels. Exposure for children aged 1–10 years can exceed the ADI at maximum permitted levels in some European countries. High-dose supplement forms, particularly when combined with bioavailability enhancers such as piperine, have been associated with cases of acute cholestatic hepatitis reported in Italy and France.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Authorised as food colour E100 under Directive 94/36/EC; re-evaluated by EFSA ANS Panel in 2010 confirming ADI of 3 mg/kg bw/day; maximum permitted levels in food range from 20–500 mg/kg depending on food category, and 100–200 mg/L for beverages. A refined EFSA exposure assessment was conducted in 2014 (EFSA Journal, pub/3876). Purity must be ≥90% total colouring matters per EC 2008 specifications.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	Permitted as a natural colour under INS 100 in the FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. Listed in FSSAI Appendix A as 'Curcumin or turmeric (as curcumin)' with food-category-specific maximum permitted levels (e.g., 5 mg/kg in table margarine/fat spread). Also referenced as INS 100 in FSSAI processing aids regulations for solvent extraction.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved	Turmeric (source of curcumin) listed under 21 CFR 73.600 as a colour additive exempt from batch certification for use in food. Curcumin from turmeric is also covered by voluntary GRAS notices (GRN 686, GRN 822). The FDA concluded curcuminoids used as antioxidant and flavouring agents at established maximum levels are safe; no formal ADI set by FDA.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Children — EFSA's 2010 re-evaluation found that intake estimates for children aged 1–10 years at mean and high exposure levels can exceed the ADI of 3 mg/kg bw/day in some European countries when curcumin is present at maximum permitted levels in food.

Liver Disease — High-dose or bioavailability-enhanced curcumin supplements (particularly those combined with piperine) have been associated with cases of acute cholestatic hepatitis, including 21 documented cases in Italy and over 100 adverse event reports in France, as noted by the UK COT and ANSES.

Pregnancy — While dietary exposure through food colouring is generally considered safe, high-dose curcumin supplementation is not recommended during pregnancy due to insufficient safety data at pharmacological doses and potential uterotonic effects; supplement intake can be several magnitudes higher than dietary exposure per COT assessment.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1other. Discussion paper on the potential risk to human health of turmeric and curcumin supplements. cot.food.gov.uk
2PubMed. Turmeric and Its Major Compound Curcumin on Health: Bioactive Effects and Safety Profiles for Food, Pharmaceutical, Biotechnological and Medicinal Applications, 2020. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3EFSA. Refined exposure assessment for curcumin (E 100), 2014. efsa.europa.eu
4EFSA. Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of curcumin (E 100) as a food additive, 2010. efsa.europa.eu
5WHO. Evaluation of certain food additives and contaminants: Sixty-first report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), 2004. apps.who.int

Independently researched5 citations