Caramel IV - sulfite ammonia caramel

E number E150dINS 150d

Used as a colour.

Caramel IV is the sulfite ammonia class and the most widely used of the four: it is the colour in cola drinks. It carries a negative charge in solution, which keeps it stable in acidic beverages.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Caramel IV - sulfite ammonia caramel by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationNot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFAPermitted, with conditions

82 food categories

highest permitted level 60,000 mg/kg

Show every food category
  • 01.1.4 Flavoured Fluid Milk Drinks — 2,000 mg/kg
  • 01.2.2 Renneted milk (plain) — GMP
  • 01.3.2 Beverage whiteners — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 01.4.4 Cream analogues — 5,000 mg/kg
  • 01.5.2 Milk and cream powder analogues — 5,000 mg/kg
  • 01.6.1 Unripened cheese — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 01.6.2.1 Ripened cheese, includes rind — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 01.6.2.2 Rind of ripened cheese — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 01.6.4.2 Flavoured processed cheese, including containing fruit, vegetables, meat, etc. — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 01.6.5 Cheese analogues — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 01.7 Dairy-based desserts (e.g. pudding, fruit or flavoured yoghurt) — 2,000 mg/kg
  • 02.2.2 Fat spreads, dairy fat spreads and blended spreads — 500 mg/kg
  • 02.4 Fat-based desserts excluding dairy-based dessert products of food category 01.7 — 20,000 mg/kg
  • 03.0 Edible ices, including sherbet and sorbet — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.11 Fruit fillings for pastries — 7,500 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.3 Fruit in vinegar, oil, or brine — 7,500 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.4 Canned or bottled (pasteurized) fruit — 7,500 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.5 — 1,500 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.6 Fruit-based spreads (e.g. chutney) excluding products of food category — 500 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.7 Candied fruit — 7,500 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.8 Fruit preparations, including pulp, purees, fruit toppings and coconut milk — 7,500 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.9 Fruit-based desserts, incl. fruit-flavoured water-based desserts — 7,500 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.3 Vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), and seaweeds in vinegar, oil, brine, or soybean sauce — 500 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.4 Canned or bottled (pasteurized) or retort pouch vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), and seaweeds — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.5 Vegetable (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), seaweed, and nut and seed purees and spreads (e.g. peanut butter) — 400 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.8 Cooked or fried vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), and seaweeds — 20,000 mg/kg
  • 05.1.2 Cocoa mixes (syrups) — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 05.1.3 Cocoa-based spreads, incl. fillings — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 05.1.4 Cocoa and chocolate products — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 05.1.5 Imitation chocolate, chocolate substitute products — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 05.2 Confectionery including hard and soft candy, nougats, etc. other than food categories 05.1, 05.3, and 05.4 — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 05.3 Chewing gum — 20,000 mg/kg
  • 05.4 Decorations (e.g. for fine bakery wares), toppings (non-fruit), and sweet sauces — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 06.3 Breakfast cereals, including rolled oats — 2,500 mg/kg
  • 06.4.2 Dried pastas and noodles and like products — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 06.4.3 Pre-cooked pastas and noodles and like products — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 06.5 Cereal and starch based desserts (e.g. rice pudding, tapioca pudding) — 2,500 mg/kg
  • 06.6 Batters (e.g. for breading or batters for fish or poultry) — 2,500 mg/kg
  • 06.7 Pre-cooked or processed rice products, including rice cakes (Oriental type only) — 2,500 mg/kg
  • 06.8.8 Other soybean protein products — 20,000 mg/kg
  • 07.1.2 Crackers, excluding sweet crackers — 1,200 mg/kg
  • 07.1.3 Other ordinary bakery products (e.g. bagels, pita, English muffins) — 25,000 mg/kg
  • 07.2 Fine bakery wares (sweet, salty, savoury) and mixes — 1,200 mg/kg
  • 08.1.2 Fresh meat, poultry and game, comminuted — 5,000 mg/kg
  • 08.2.1.1 Cured (including salted) non-heat treated processed meat, poultry, and game products in whole pieces or cuts — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 08.2.2 Heat-treated processed meat, poultry, and game products in whole pieces or cuts — 3,400 mg/kg
  • 08.2.3 Frozen processed meat, poultry and game products in whole pieces or cuts — 300 mg/kg
  • 08.3.1.1 Cured (including salted) non-heat treated processed comminuted meat, poultry, and game products — 2,000 mg/kg
  • 08.3.1.2 Cured (including salted) and dried non-heat treated processed comminuted meat, poultry, and game products — 2,000 mg/kg
  • 08.3.1.3 Fermented non-heat treated processed comminuted meat, poultry, and game products — 5,000 mg/kg
  • 08.3.2 Heat-treated processed comminuted meat, poultry, and game products — 10,000 mg/kg
  • 08.3.3 Frozen processed comminuted meat, poultry, and game products — 2,000 mg/kg
  • 08.4 Edible casings (e.g. sausage casings) — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 09.2 Processed fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 30,000 mg/kg
  • 09.3 Semi-preserved fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 30,000 mg/kg
  • 09.4 Fully preserved, including canned or fermented fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 30,000 mg/kg
  • 10.1 Fresh eggs — 20,000 mg/kg
  • 10.2 Egg products — 20,000 mg/kg
  • 10.3 Preserved eggs, including alkaline, salted, and canned eggs — 20,000 mg/kg
  • 10.4 Egg-based desserts (e.g. custard) — 20,000 mg/kg
  • 11.6 Table-top sweeteners, including those containing high-intensity sweeteners — 1,200 mg/kg
  • 12.2.2 Seasonings and condiments — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 12.3 Vinegars — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 12.4 Mustards — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 12.5 Soups and broths — 25,000 mg/kg
  • 12.6 Sauces and like products — 30,000 mg/kg
  • 12.7 Salads (e.g. macaroni salad, potato salad) and sandwich spreads excluding cocoa-and nut-based spreads of food categories 04.2.2.5 and 05.1.3 — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 12.9.2.1 Fermented soybean sauce — 60,000 mg/kg
  • 13.3 Dietetic foods intended for special medical purposes (excluding products of food category 13.1) — 20,000 mg/kg
  • 13.4 Dietetic formulae for slimming purposes and weight reduction — 20,000 mg/kg
  • 13.5 Dietetic foods (e.g. supplementary foods for dietary use) excluding products of food categories — 20,000 mg/kg
  • 13.6 Food supplements — 20,000 mg/kg
  • 14.1.4 Water-based flavoured drinks, including "sport," “energy,” or "electrolyte" drinks and particulated drinks — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 14.1.5 Coffee, coffee substitutes, tea, herbal infusions, and other hot cereal and grain beverages, excluding cocoa — 10,000 mg/kg
  • 14.2.1 Beer and malt beverages — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 14.2.2 Cider and perry — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 14.2.3.3 Fortified grape wine, grape liquor wine, and sweet grape wine — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 14.2.4 Wines (other than grape) — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 14.2.5 Mead — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 14.2.6 Distilled spirituous beverages containing more than 15% alcohol — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 14.2.7 Aromatized alcoholic beverages (e.g. beer, wine and spirituous cooler-type beverages, low-alcoholic refreshers) — 50,000 mg/kg
  • 15.0 Ready-to-eat savouries — 10,000 mg/kg
CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 150dand 81 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07

What it is made from

Produced by heating food-grade carbohydrates with both sulfite and ammonium compounds. As with Caramel III, limits are set on 4-methylimidazole formed during manufacture.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian

Every name it appears under

6 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

E number

  • E150d

INS number

  • 150d

Other names

  • CARAMEL IV - SULFITE AMMONIA CARAMEL
  • Class IV Sulphite Ammonia Caramel
  • E 150d
  • Sulphite ammonia caramel

Hazard reference values

Values set by assessing bodies. A body that has not set a value is not listed here.
TypeValuePopulationAssessed byOpinion
ADI300 mg/kg bw/dayconsumersEFSA ANS2011

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

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