INS 163 is anthocyanins, a family of red-to-purple-to-blue natural pigments extracted from grape skin, red cabbage, black carrot, blackcurrant, and similar deeply-coloured plants. On Indian packs it shows up in juices, jams, candy, and ice cream as a clean-label alternative to synthetic reds and pinks. It is generally vegan and is permitted by FSSAI for specified food categories.
INS 163 is anthocyanins, a family of red-to-purple-to-blue natural pigments extracted from grape skin, red cabbage, black carrot, blackcurrant, and similar deeply-coloured plants. On Indian packs it shows up in juices, jams, candy, and ice cream as a clean-label alternative to synthetic reds and pinks.
Brands use it because anthocyanins give a vivid red-to-purple shade from a plant source, which appeals to the clean-label and 'no synthetic colour' segment. A useful colour-chemistry trick is that the same anthocyanin shifts from red in acidic products to purple-blue in less-acidic ones, so the brand can use one extract across different recipes. The trade-off is that anthocyanins fade faster under heat and bright light than synthetic reds, so they are more common in cold or refrigerated products than in baked goods.
INS 163 commonly shows up on Indian packets in these categories:
Anthocyanins are extracted from edible plant material (grape skin, blackcurrant, red cabbage, black carrot, purple sweet potato, and similar deeply-coloured plants) by water-based or alcohol-based extraction. Grape skin extract is the form most commonly traded under INS 163 on Indian shelves. No animal product is used in their manufacture.
FSSAI: Permitted by FSSAI as a natural food colour under Schedule I of the FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations 2011 for specified food categories with category-specific limits. The FSSAI compendium text we verified specifically lists INS 163 (generic), 163(i), 163(ii) grape skin extract, and 163(iii) blackcurrant extract, with many Schedule rows pinning grape skin extract 163(ii) by name. The other Codex sub-codes (purple corn 163(iv), red cabbage 163(v), black carrot 163(vi), purple sweet potato 163(vii), butterfly pea 163(xi)) appear in international references but their separate FSSAI permission status has not been independently verified for this entry; treat those source-plant forms as not-confirmed-by-FSSAI unless a label-specific check is performed.
JECFA: ADI 0-2.5 mg/kg body weight for grape skin extract (INS 163(ii)), established at the 26th JECFA (1982) based on a NOAEL of 225 mg/kg body weight per day from a two-generation rat reproductive toxicity study with a 100-fold safety factor. JECFA has not yet established ADIs for the other sub-codes: black carrot extract was reviewed at the 87th JECFA (2019) and butterfly pea flower extract at the 99th JECFA (2024); the committee judged the available data insufficient for numerical ADIs and called for additional studies. EFSA's 2013 re-evaluation of E163 also did not set a numerical ADI and concluded that available exposure scenarios are within acceptable limits, with the EU permitting use under the quantum-satis principle.
On packets, in recipes, and in conversation, INS 163 is also called:
Last verified: 2026-05-12.