I ended up making mint ice cream and used some old food dye but noticed it contained isopropyl alcohol. I thought it was an odd choice and tried to search it up but couldn't seem to find much other than an ai response that I wasn't sure was more of a general warning about consuming it. It is an old bottle, but was sold in the supermarket and is food dye so you'd assume it was fine, especially since you don't use much (although I used a few extra drops than intended). I don't know if I'm overthinking it. I didn't see it listed as an ingredient nowadays. Plus I wondered if you used it in baking that the alcohol would dissipate whereas this just went in the freezer.
It's an old bottle. Tried asking in r/ninjacreami but my post got removed for "not a ninja creami". Went the food safety subreddit, but I don't have enough karma to post. And other subs seem to not want questions about them so not really sure where to ask and the search results are weirdly empty for anything with isopropyl alcohol and food dye.
Should I assume the ice cream is safe or throw it away?
by EightTeasandaFour
6 Comments
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I would not eat that. I know “food grade” isopropyl alcohol it’s used as a solvent for flavors (and apparently colors) but I don’t think you’re supposed to eat it.
Maybe cross post to r/foodscience
Edited the subreddit name*
Not safe :/ good catch
dyes more than several years old aren’t safe in general. pigments catch light even in places your meat eyes think are dark, and the chemistry changes with time.
this was safe when it was new, yes, but if it’s more than 4-5 years old, not anymore
i believe the phrasing “tartrazine” has been out of circulation in the united states for more than 20 years. i don’t know the details of the uk, but they usually keep labelling laws compatible, so i think this is probably much too old. aiui, if that was a modern bottle, we would call it fd&c 1, and you would call it e133.
It’s no longer allowed in food colorings and other food items. It’s supposed to be safe but only when completely dry.
Otherwise it’s toxic
>Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is not safe for consumption and should not be used in food dyes for ingestion. While it can be used as a solvent for certain applications like food coloring pens, its use is restricted because it is a toxic substance that can cause central nervous system depression, organ damage, and other serious health issues if ingested.
Not hard to find. Also, why use such a thing when you simply can use 1-3 grams of matcha.