Brilliant Blue FCF

Brilliant Blue FCF (E133) is a synthetic triarylmethane dye producing vivid blue to turquoise colours in foods and beverages. It is highly water-soluble and its applications include blue and green confectionery, ice cream, soft drinks, sports beverages, and canned peas (used alongside yellow colourants to produce green shades). As a triarylmethane dye rather than an azo compound, it is chemically distinct from most other synthetic food colours.

JECFA evaluated Brilliant Blue FCF in 1969 and established an ADI of 0–6 mg per kg body weight per day, equivalent to 360 mg daily for a 60 kg adult. No numerical EFSA ADI is available in the EFSA OpenFoodTox 3.0 database. At over 50 years, the original JECFA evaluation is one of the older assessments in the food colourant category. Brilliant Blue is not included among the six azo dyes linked to the Southampton hyperactivity findings, as it belongs to a different chemical class.

Brilliant Blue FCF is permitted in the EU, United States (as FD&C Blue No. 1), Japan, and South Korea, though it has faced restrictions in certain markets historically. In the EU it does not carry the hyperactivity warning label that applies to the six azo colourants. Consumer concerns are modest compared to azo dyes, though some regulatory bodies periodically review its status given the age of the original toxicological data. It is commonly present in processed snack foods, confectionery, and artificially coloured beverages.