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Brilliant Blue FCF (Blue 1) is a synthetic organic compound primarily used as a blue colorant for foods, medications, dietary supplements, and cosmetics. It is classified as a triarylmethane dye and is known under various names, such as FD&C Blue No. 1 or Acid Blue 9. It is denoted by E number E133 and has a color index of 42090. It has the appearance of a blue powder and is soluble in water, with a maximum absorption at about 628 nanometers. It is one of oldest FDA-approved color additives and is generally considered nontoxic and safe.

Production
Brilliant Blue FCF is synthetic dye produced by the condensation of 2-formylbenzenesulfonic acid and the appropriate aniline followed by oxidation.[2] It can be combined with tartrazine (E102) to produce various shades of green.

It is usually a disodium salt with the CAS number 3844-45-9. Calcium and potassium salts are also permitted. It can also appear as an aluminum lake. The chemical formation is C37H34N2Na2O9S3.

Related dyes are C.I. acid green 3 (CAS#4680-78-8) and acid green 9 (CAS#4857-81-2). In these dyes, the 2-sulfonic acid group is replaced by H and Cl, respectively.[3]

Many attempts have been made to find similarly colored natural dyes that are as stable as Brilliant Blue FCF. Blue pigments must posses many chemical traits, including pi-bond conjugation, aromatic rings, heteroatoms and heteroatom groups, and ionic charges in order to absorb low energy red light. Most natural blue dyes are either unstable, blue only in alkaline conditions, or toxic; good candidates for further research into use as natural dyes include anthocyanin and trichotomine derivatives. No replacement for Brilliant Blue FCF has been found for use in beverages.

Uses:
Due to its nontoxic properties, Brilliant Blue FCF has been used as a biological stain. When dissolved in an acidic medium, this dye has been used to stain cell walls, bacteria, and fungal cells. The dye does not inhibit the growth of any of these species.

For similar reasons, brilliant Blue FCF is also being utilized in hemostatic medical devices, most notably the HEMOPATCH--designed to be placed on bleeding tissues and coagulate the blood. A low concentration of Brilliant Blue FCF is placed on the backside of the HEMOPATCH at 1 cm increments, allowing surgeons to cut precisely and indicate the side of the HEMOPATCH that is an active hemostatic agent for correct placement.

Brilliant Blue FCF is extensively used as a water tracer agent. Due to its ability to retain color for long periods of time, Brilliant Blue FCF outperforms other dye tracers. Additionally, Brilliant Blue FCF has a low toxicity level that is favorable for the environment. However, Brilliant Blue FCF has different impacts on varying soils. Brillaint Blue FCF is attracted to and sorbed in acidic soils due to its large size and ionic charge. Soil composition and flow velocity also effect the level of sorption of Brilliant Blue FCF.

Brilliant Blue FCF dye within food items--such as soda--can be used in the blue bottle experiment. In such foods, both the dye and reducing agents are incorporated in the same solution. When the solution is blue, oxygen is present. On the addition of NaOH, a reaction occurs that removes the oxygen, turning the solution clear. The dye turns back to blue once it is reoxidized by swirling the solution, incorporating oxygen from the air as an oxidizing agent.

Biomedical Research:
When human washed platelets are evaluated using turbidimetry it was found that Brilliant Blue FCF affects platelet aggregation by blocking the Panx1 channels. These inhibitory effects on collagen-induced shape change and maximal aggregation were shown by high (1 mM) concentrations of the dye but not by lower concentrations (100 µM). The 1 mM effective concentration is 1.59 times greater than the approximately 0.63 mM maximal allowable Brilliant Blue FCF concentration according to the European Food Safety Authority.

Scientists are performing studies to better understand the effects of Brilliant Blue FCF during vein graft explantation. Brilliant Blue FCF hinders the purinergic receptors, limiting cell proliferation that may lead to initmal hyperplasia. The effects of Brilliant Blue FCF were tested on rat aortic cells. It was found that Brilliant Blue FCF had a positive impact in limiting the development of initmal hyperplasia following a vein graft procedure.

Brilliant Blue FCF and similar dyes such as Brilliant Blue G are inhibitors to purinergic receptors--receptors that are responsible for inflammatory responses and other cell process.