Paprika and turmeric oleoresins

Additive · E 160c

Paprika and turmeric oleoresins are concentrated plant extracts used to add red, orange, or yellow color and sometimes spice flavor to foods. Their pigment content varies, and whole spices, standardized paprika color, turmeric oleoresin, and purified curcumin have different compositions and safety evidence.

Also known as

paprika oleoresin · paprika extract · oleoresin paprika · oleoresin of paprika · capsanthin · capsorubin · E 160c · INS 160c · turmeric oleoresin · Curcuma longa oleoresin · turmeric extract used as color · curcumin · turmeric yellow · E 100 · INS 100(i)

Why PRūF tracks it

The review considers uncertain new dietary diabetes associations, preparation-specific exposure limits and mixed high-dose animal findings, while supplement-associated liver injury cannot automatically be attributed to ordinary food-color use.

Read the research

Paprika extracts contain red pigments called capsanthin and capsorubin, while turmeric extracts contain yellow curcuminoids. These preparations vary, so findings for one cannot automatically describe them all. Regulatory assessments support specified food uses, but they also identify limits and uncertainties. Paprika color had reassuring genetic and long-term animal results, with some minor changes at high doses.

Curcumin assessments considered mixed genetic test results and equivocal animal tumor findings before setting a daily intake limit. Some earlier estimates for children approached or exceeded that limit. A 2026 French study linked higher estimated intake of paprika color and curcumin color with more type 2 diabetes. This was an observational study at dietary intake levels, not a supplement trial; it cannot establish causation, and independent confirmation is needed.

Cancer findings from the same cohort were less consistent and do not provide independent replication. Turmeric supplements have also been linked to occasionally severe liver injury, which cannot be assumed to occur at ordinary food-color exposure. U.S. petitions concerning extraction solvents remain under review; they have not banned these colors. The exact preparation, amount consumed, and purity remain important to interpreting the evidence.

Research reviewed on September 5, 2026 · 12 sources