INS 150c is ammonia caramel, also called Class III caramel. It is made by heating sugar with ammonia reactants. On Indian packets it shows up most often in beer, biscuits, gravy mixes, and bakery products that need a deep brown shade with a slightly nutty edge. It is generally vegan and is permitted by FSSAI for specified food categories.
INS 150c is ammonia caramel, also called Class III caramel. It is made by heating sugar with ammonia reactants. On Indian packets it shows up most often in beer, biscuits, gravy mixes, and bakery products that need a deep brown shade with a slightly nutty edge.
Brands use it because Class III gives the strongest brown shade per gram of any caramel class, holds well in beer and dark gravies, and tolerates the bakery oven without going dull. It is the standard caramel of biscuits, malted drinks, and brown sauces.
INS 150c commonly shows up on Indian packets in these categories:
Class III caramel is made by heating plant-derived carbohydrates with ammonium compounds. No animal product is used in its manufacture.
FSSAI: Permitted by FSSAI under Schedule I of the FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations 2011 as a colour for specified food categories with category-specific limits. Codex specifications cap residual 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) at max 300 mg/kg (and max 200 mg/kg on an equivalent colour basis) and 2-acetyl-4-tetrahydroxybutylimidazole (THI) at max 40 mg/kg (max 25 mg/kg on equivalent colour basis); FSSAI follows Codex specifications.
JECFA: ADI 0-200 mg/kg body weight for Class III ammonia caramel (0-150 mg/kg bw on solids basis), established at 29th JECFA (1985). Specifications updated at 74th JECFA (2011).
On packets, in recipes, and in conversation, INS 150c is also called:
Last verified: 2026-04-30.