Food additives Europe numbers: E161c
Cryptoxanthin isn't actually an excipient in food. Excipients are typically inert substances added to food for technical purposes, like bulking up ingredients, preventing caking, or aiding in processing.
Cryptoxanthin, on the other hand, is a naturally occurring carotenoid pigment found in many fruits and vegetables. It has antioxidant properties and may offer some health benefits, but it's not added to food as an additive. You get cryptoxanthin by consuming the following foods:
- Fruits: tangerines, oranges, peaches, persimmons
- Vegetables: red peppers, winter squash (like butternut squash and pumpkin), mangoes, tomatoes (especially ripe ones)
- Other: corn, papaya, egg yolk
While not an additive, cryptoxanthin can contribute to the color and overall nutritional value of some processed foods. For example, if a juice blend contains tangerines and mangoes, it will naturally have some cryptoxanthin from those fruits.