An orange to red colour extracted from the fruit pod and seeds of the red pepper, Capsicum annuum.

Normally obtained by solvent extraction from the Hungarian variety with Spain being a major producer.

Used widely in poultry feed to deepen the colour of egg yolks (see also E161b) it can also be found in cheese slices and chicken pies.

Expect to see more use in meat products with the swing away from synthetic colours towards the natural ones.

Not permitted in Australia.