Jagua (genipin-glycine) blue

INS 183

Listed as a colour by Codex and the US.

Listed as colours (US, Codex)

Jagua blue is a natural blue made from the fruit of the jagua tree, long used in South America as a skin dye. Like gardenia blue, the colour is formed by reaction rather than extracted ready-made.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Jagua (genipin-glycine) blue by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
Australia and New ZealandFood Standards Australia New ZealandNo listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it.
CanadaHealth CanadaNo listing matchedHealth Canada’s lists name additives without E or INS numbers, so this site matches them by exact name. A substance listed there under a name this site does not recognise has no row here.
European UnionEuropean Commission / EFSANo listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it.
Great BritainFood Standards Agency / Food Standards ScotlandNo listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it.
JapanConsumer Affairs AgencyNo listing matchedThis site imports only Japan’s list of designated additives (Appended Table 1 to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act), matched by English name. Existing additives, natural flavouring agents and ordinary foods used as additives are permitted outside that list and are not imported, so an empty row does not show that Japan does not permit the substance.
South KoreaMinistry of Food and Drug SafetyNo listing matchedThis site imports Part III of South Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, matched by CAS number, then INS number, then exact name. Mixed preparations and sanitisers are not imported, and an entry whose identifiers disagreed with a page’s is held for review, so an empty row does not show that South Korea does not permit the substance.
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted21 CFR 73.225retrieved 2026-10-17
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFAPermitted, with conditions

21 food categories

highest permitted level 2,000 mg/kg

Show every food category and its notes
  • 01.1.4 Flavoured Fluid Milk Drinks — 160 mg/kg
    • Note 52 Excluding chocolate milk.
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
  • 01.6.4.2 Flavoured processed cheese, including containing fruit, vegetables, meat, etc. — 44 mg/kg
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
  • 01.7 Dairy-based desserts (e.g. pudding, fruit or flavoured yoghurt) — 120 mg/kg
    • Note 600 For use in frozen dairy confections and novelties at a maximum use level of 400 mg/kg.
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
  • 02.3 Fat emulsions mainly of type oil-in-water, including mixed and/or flavoured products based on fat emulsions — 160 mg/kg
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
  • 02.4 Fat-based desserts excluding dairy-based dessert products of food category 01.7 — 200 mg/kg
    • Note 599 For use in non-dairy frozen confections and novelties at a maximum use level of 400 mg/kg.
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
  • 03.0 Edible ices, including sherbet and sorbet — 120 mg/kg
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
  • 04.1.2.11 Fruit fillings for pastries — 120 mg/kg
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
  • 04.1.2.5 — 120 mg/kg
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
  • 04.1.2.8 Fruit preparations, including pulp, purees, fruit toppings and coconut milk — 120 mg/kg
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
    • Note XS240 Excluding products conforming to the Standard for Aqueous Coconut Products (CODEX STAN 240-2003).
    • Note XS314R Excluding products conforming to the Standard for Date Paste (CODEX STAN 314R-2013).
  • 04.1.2.9 Fruit-based desserts, incl. fruit-flavoured water-based desserts — 120 mg/kg
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
  • 05.1.4 Cocoa and chocolate products — 800 mg/kg
    • Note 183 For use in surface decoration only.
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
  • 05.2 Confectionery including hard and soft candy, nougats, etc. other than food categories 05.1, 05.3, and 05.4 — 800 mg/kg
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
    • Note XS309R Excluding products conforming to the Codex Regional Standard for Halawa Tehenia (CODEX STAN 309R-211).
  • 05.3 Chewing gum — 800 mg/kg
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
  • 05.4 Decorations (e.g. for fine bakery wares), toppings (non-fruit), and sweet sauces — 120 mg/kg
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
  • 06.3 Breakfast cereals, including rolled oats — 2,000 mg/kg
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
  • 06.5 Cereal and starch based desserts (e.g. rice pudding, tapioca pudding) — 84 mg/kg
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
  • 11.4 Other sugars and syrups (e.g. xylose, maple syrup, sugar toppings) — 120 mg/kg
    • Note 258 Excluding maple syrup.
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
  • 13.4 Dietetic formulae for slimming purposes and weight reduction — 65 mg/kg
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
  • 13.5 Dietetic foods (e.g. supplementary foods for dietary use) excluding products of food categories — 65 mg/kg
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
  • 14.1.4 Water-based flavoured drinks, including "sport," “energy,” or "electrolyte" drinks and particulated drinks — 80 mg/kg
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
    • Note 609 For use in fruit based drinks, including fruit flavoured drinks, only.
  • 15.1 Snacks - potato, cereal, flour or starch based (from roots and tubers, pulses and legumes) — 600 mg/kg
    • Note 601 On a blue polymer basis.
    • Note 604 Except for use in blue/purple tortilla chips at 1,200 mg/kg
CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 183and 20 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07

How much is permitted

A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.

United States—1 no quantity stated
Codex Alimentarius44 mg/kg – 2,000 mg/kg21 numeric limit

What it is made from

Genipin from the unripe fruit of Genipa americana is reacted with the amino acid glycine to form the blue pigment.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian

Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.

Every name it appears under

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

INS number

  • 183

As it appears in regulation

  • Jagua (genipin-glycine) blue

Other names

  • JAGUA (GENIPIN-GLYCINE) BLUE (JAGUA BLUE)

Hazard reference values

Values set by assessing bodies. A body that has not set a value is not listed here.
TypeValuePopulationAssessed byOpinion
ADI11 mg/kg bw/day—JECFA2020

Evidence and how bodies read it

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

Common questions

Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.

What is INS 183?
INS 183 is Jagua (genipin-glycine) blue. Jagua blue is a natural blue made from the fruit of the jagua tree, long used in South America as a skin dye. Like gardenia blue, the colour is formed by reaction rather than extracted ready-made.
What is Jagua (genipin-glycine) blue used for in food?
It is listed as a colour — the role Codex and the US assign it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
Is Jagua (genipin-glycine) blue banned in Europe?
No. Jagua (genipin-glycine) blue does not appear on the EU's list of authorised food additives, which is not the same as being banned: the EU permits an additive only where it has authorised it, and usually the reason for an absence is that no one applied. The EU has made no finding against this substance. It does mean it may not be used as a food additive in the EU today.
Where is Jagua (genipin-glycine) blue permitted?
Of the seven regulators this site reads, the US and the Codex standard permit it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
Is Jagua (genipin-glycine) blue vegan?
Yes. Jagua (genipin-glycine) blue is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr retrieved 2026-10-17
  • 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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