12 replies to this topic

[MDaleDDF]

Have a customer interested in a product with activated charcoal to get a really dark color.   After reading up on it, since I've never heard of it, it looks dicey at best.   Not on the GRAS list, dicey health effects, etc.    But from what I see with a google, people are using it all over the place to make black burger buns, cakes, frostings, etc.

Thoughts from all you pros out there?

[qa_maddy]

I know people that have wanted to use it in home cooking and baking due to it's coloring effect without impacting taste or formulation drastically. 

It has an unfortunate side effect of potentially causing medication to be ineffective if you eat something with enough activated charcoal in it close enough to when you take your medication. 

[MDaleDDF]

I know people that have wanted to use it in home cooking and baking due to it's coloring effect without impacting taste or formulation drastically. 

It has an unfortunate side effect of potentially causing medication to be ineffective if you eat something with enough activated charcoal in it close enough to when you take your medication. 

yeah that's one of the things I read online.   However, Burger King uses it to make black buns.   Which is surprising if it's not GRAS.....

 

I also read it can lead to a weird texture?   

Edited by MDaleDDF, 30 April 2026 - 02:58 PM.

[qa_maddy]

yeah that's one of the things I read online.   However, Burger King uses it to make black buns.   Which is surprising if it's not GRAS.....

 

I also read it can lead to a weird texture?   

 

I didn't realize they were using charcoal - I had seen some other conversations online when those burgers were popular that they were likely using another type of food dye due to people having uhhh... well there's no way to put this delicately - bright green bowel movements. 

They had to make a statement that it was the green base in the food dye that caused it. At least in the US. 

[MDaleDDF]

I get different info on different sites.   Some say the BK thing was charcoal, some say it was FD&C colors mixed.

Regardless, I was just interested to hear some input on the charcoal thing, seems absolute no go to me....

[kfromNE]

It is used medically for emergency use to absorb toxins in the stomach. So safety wise/purity wise - I bet it can be found. I would never use it in a product or eat something with it. 

[jfrey123]

I'd reject the concept outright.  It's not GRAS as a food ingredient, it's not one of the FDA approved food colorants, and it's commonly manufactured from inedible things (coconut shells, wood, and actual coal).  USDA recognizes it in their NOP as a filtering or processing aid, but not as a consumable ingredient.

 

The fact it's medically approved is irrelevant, as none of us would consider adding morphine or OTC Tylenol as an ingredient.

[MDaleDDF]

I'd reject the concept outright.  It's not GRAS as a food ingredient, it's not one of the FDA approved food colorants, and it's commonly manufactured from inedible things (coconut shells, wood, and actual coal).  USDA recognizes it in their NOP as a filtering or processing aid, but not as a consumable ingredient.

 

The fact it's medically approved is irrelevant, as none of us would consider adding morphine or OTC Tylenol as an ingredient.

The way my week is going a morphine hamburger sounds great actually.....

[kfromNE]

I'd reject the concept outright.  It's not GRAS as a food ingredient, it's not one of the FDA approved food colorants, and it's commonly manufactured from inedible things (coconut shells, wood, and actual coal).  USDA recognizes it in their NOP as a filtering or processing aid, but not as a consumable ingredient.

 

The fact it's medically approved is irrelevant, as none of us would consider adding morphine or OTC Tylenol as an ingredient.

 

Good point

[MDaleDDF]

I know for a fact places are using it in food applications, but not manufacturers that I know of.   But I have an end user that was using it to dye foods at halloween last year...bad juju....

[GMO]

I think it's E153 over here (called vegetable carbon). The activated bit I think is when it's used for medical use or scrubbers etc and relates to it's structure and high surface area to volume ratio.

 

I believe E153 is permitted in EU and UK but unusual to be this way round, not in the US? 

Not considered a safety concern with some reservations (I'm not surprised) on PAH levels: Scientific Opinion on the re‐evaluation of vegetable carbon (E 153) as a food additive - - 2012 - EFSA Journal - Wiley Online Library

 

Further considerations are ongoing though about metal contaminant permitted levels and nanoparticles. Scientific opinion on the amendment of the specifications for vegetable carbon (E 153) as a food additive - - 2026 - EFSA Journal - Wiley Online Library

[Setanta]

The way my week is going a morphine hamburger sounds great actually.....

 

 

We used to joke about needing Flintstones chewable morphine, like the vitamins. 

[SQFconsultant]

In the past I had client that wanted to color a bread (Burger King used a mix of food dyes and not charcoal directly) with it but decided it much better to go a different route.

 

The activated charcoal has a wonderful benefit of binding with toxins and thus I carried a bottle when I traveled on auditing and consulting work thus if I ate something that did not agree with me I'd pop a couple of small tablets.

 

The issue with it being used as an ingredient is that the consumer may very well have rather strange black colored stools - which is rather difficult to tell people on a label, OH BY THE WAY THE CHARCOAL IN OUR PRODUCT MIGHT CAUSE YOU TO HAVE BLACK POOP!!!

 

Years an years ago in my 20's I had a friend overdose on ludes and the hospital drug overdose hotline told us to give him charcoal and loads of coffee -- what a mess!