Yellow Food Dye

28 Oct 2024 15:17:29 pm

Tags : Yellow Food Dye

Topic: Food colours

Why in the news?

Yellow food dye can make living tissue transparent, it could one day improve cancer treatment
The key to making living tissue transparent would be to reduce the differences in how light moves through different parts of the tissue

Source: Down To Earth

About Yellow Food Dye:

It is also known as tartrazine.
It is a synthetic food colorant classified as an azo dye.
It is lemon yellow in color and water soluble.
It is used in many dairy products, beverages, desserts and confectioneries etc.
It absorbs blue light strongly, which yields its characteristic orange-to-red color when dissolved in water. This happens because the blue part of the light is absorbed, leaving only the orange-to-red part visible.
Normally, biological tissues scatter light due to their diverse composition of proteins, fats, and liquids.
A concentrated tartrazine solution can match the refractive indices of these components, reducing light scattering and allowing light to pass through. This makes the skin appear transparent.
When applied, tartrazine absorbs certain wavelengths of light, especially red light, changing how light interacts with the tissue.
This effect enabled the researchers to see blood vessels, internal organs, and muscle contractions in real-time.
This technique could simplify blood draws, improve laser tattoo removal, and aid in early cancer detection.