Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 24, 2026

Food orange 7

Food orange 7, the ethyl ester of beta-apo-8'-carotenic acid, is a carotenoid with an orange-red color. It is found in small quantities in some plants, but is often produced commercially from apocarotenal (E160e). It is used as a food coloring under the E number E160f and is approved for use in Australia and New Zealand. It was formerly approved for use in the EU, but was delisted in November 2011 as it was no longer being manufactured.

Last revised
Jun 24, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
240 w
Citations
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Source
Wikipedia ↗
Food orange 7
Skeletal formula of food orange 7
source ↗
Space-filling model of the food orange 7 molecule
source ↗
Names
IUPAC name
Ethyl 8′-apo-β-caroten-8′-oate
Systematic IUPAC name
Ethyl (2E,4E,6E,8E,10E,12E,14E,16E)-2,6,11,15-tetramethyl-17-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohex-1-en-1-yl)heptadeca-2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16-octaenoate
Other names
  • Ethyl ester of beta-apo-8'-carotenic acid
  • Ethyl 8'-apo-beta,psi-carotenoate
  • E160f
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.012.885
EC Number
  • 214-173-7
E number E160f (colours)
  • InChI=1S/C32H44O2/c1-9-34-31(33)29(6)20-13-19-26(3)16-11-10-15-25(2)17-12-18-27(4)22-23-30-28(5)21-14-24-32(30,7)8/h10-13,15-20,22-23H,9,14,21,24H2,1-8H3/b11-10+,17-12+,19-13+,23-22+,25-15+,26-16+,27-18+,29-20+
    Key: GIRXTOSJOKKBHO-BQTUIHPCSA-N
  • CCOC(=O)/C(=C/C=C/C(=C/C=C/C=C(\C)/C=C/C=C(\C)/C=C/C1=C(CCCC1(C)C)C)/C)/C
Properties
C32H44O2
Molar mass 460.702 g·mol−1
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Food orange 7, the ethyl ester of beta-apo-8'-carotenic acid, is a carotenoid with an orange-red color. It is found in small quantities in some plants, but is often produced commercially from apocarotenal (E160e).1 It is used as a food coloring under the E number E160f and is approved for use in Australia and New Zealand.2 It was formerly approved for use in the EU,3 but was delisted in November 2011 as it was no longer being manufactured.4

References

References

  1. "Food-Info.net : E-numbers : E160f: Ethyl-ß-apo-8'-carotenate (ethyl ester of ß-apo-8'-carotenic acid)". www.food-info.net. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
  2. Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code"Standard 1.2.4 - Labelling of ingredients". 8 September 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
  3. UK Food Standards Agency: "Current EU approved additives and their E Numbers". Retrieved 2011-10-27.
  4. "Regulations: COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 1129/2011". European Commission. 11 November 2011. Archived from the original on 20 November 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2025.