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E160bColour

Annatto

What the research shows

Prototype

No concerns

none of the findings here link it to harm

4 health findings on this page, 3 in people · See the findings

An orange-red colouring from achiote tree seeds.

It gives foods a yellow to red-orange colour.

Written from English Wikipedia1

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • EU permitted

What research says

Studies in people

  • Benefit

    Red blood cell health2

    In people, annatto carotenoids helped red blood cells hold up better against breaking apart.

  • No harm found

    Heart health markers3

    In healthy adults, eating two eggs a day with Annatto for eight weeks did not change heart risk markers.

  • Benefit

    Post-meal inflammation4

    In people, norbixin from annatto lowered inflammation and fat damage after a high-calorie meal.

Animal and lab studies only

  • Benefit

    DNA damage in cells8

    In lab studies, annatto helped protect cells from DNA damage caused by some harmful substances, but not others.

Study type not stated

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least two findings in people. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

Regulatory status

Checked Sep 2026

Status reflects the named register on the date checked. It is not a safety rating. A country appears here once we've found this ingredient on its official list.

How we check

Products

The 6 most-scanned of 18,709 products on Open Food Facts that list annatto.

  • Paprika Pringles · 165 g 6 additives
  • Pringles Original Pringles · 40 g 2 additives
  • Pringles sour cream & onion Pringles · 40 g 8 additives
  • Pringles Sour Cream Pringles · 165 g 7 additives
  • Pringles Original Pringles · 185 g 2 additives
  • 54% Vegetable Fat Spread Vitalite · 500 g 6 additives

References

  1. 1Annatto. Wikipedia. Accessed September 25, 2026.
  2. 2Beni AA, Rodrigues RF, Conte L, et al. Dietary supplementation with annatto food-coloring extracts increases the resistance of human erythrocytes to hemolysis. Nutr Res. 2020;76:71-81. doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2020.02.003
  3. 3Galvis Y, Pineda K, Zapata J, et al. Consumption of Eggs Alone or Enriched with Annatto (Bixa orellana L.) Does Not Increase Cardiovascular Risk in Healthy Adults-A Randomized Clinical Trial, the Eggant Study. Nutrients. 2023;15(2). doi:10.3390/nu15020369
  4. 4Roehrs M, Conte L, da Silva DT, et al. Annatto carotenoids attenuate oxidative stress and inflammatory response after high-calorie meal in healthy subjects. Food Res Int. 2017;100(Pt 1):771-779. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2017.08.005
  5. 5Shahid-Ul-Islam, Rather LJ, Mohammad F. Phytochemistry, biological activities and potential of annatto in natural colorant production for industrial applications - A review. J Adv Res. 2016;7(3):499-514. doi:10.1016/j.jare.2015.11.002
  6. 6Tard A. Exposure assessment of annatto colouring principles bixin and norbixin (E 160b) when used as food additives. EFSA J. 2017;15(8):e04966. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2.17.4966
  7. 7Younes M, Castle L, Engel KH, et al. Safety of annatto E and the exposure to the annatto colouring principles bixin and norbixin (E 160b) when used as a food additive. EFSA J. 2019;17(3):e05626. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2019.5626
  8. 8Barcelos GR, Angeli JP, Serpeloni JM, Rocha BA, Mantovani MS, Antunes LM. Effect of annatto on micronuclei induction by direct and indirect mutagens in HepG2 cells. Environ Mol Mutagen. 2009;50(9):808-14. doi:10.1002/em.20494