E160d (lycopene)

E160d is lycopene, a red carotenoid familiar from tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit and some other foods. In food manufacturing it is used as a colourant to give products a red, pink or orange-red shade. The source may differ: tomato extract, synthetic lycopene or lycopene produced by biotechnological methods. A short code on the label does not always reveal all these details.

Lycopene is often associated with the benefits of tomatoes, but the colourant E160d is not the same as a serving of tomato sauce, vegetables or whole food. In tomatoes, lycopene comes with acids, potassium, fibre, polyphenols, water and a food matrix. In an industrial product, it may be present at a technological level for colour. A red shade should therefore not automatically be read as high nutrient value.

Lycopene as a carotenoid

Lycopene belongs to the carotenoid family, but unlike beta-carotene it does not convert into vitamin A. It is discussed in relation to antioxidant activity, vascular health and diets rich in vegetables, but one substance should not be pulled out of food context too easily. Evidence about tomato products cannot always be transferred directly to a colourant in a drink, dessert or sauce.

Lycopene is fat-soluble, so absorption is better in the presence of fat and after heating tomato foods. This is one reason why tomato sauce with olive oil may be nutritionally more interesting than a fat-free sweet red drink. E160d as a colourant, however, is not used to build a complete carotenoid absorption strategy. It is used to obtain a shade.

Safety and total intake

EFSA previously established an acceptable daily intake for lycopene as a food additive of 0.5 mg per kilogram of body weight per day. In 2026 EFSA also assessed dietary exposure to lycopene considering the background diet, novel food sources and the use of E160d as a food additive. This approach matters because people may obtain lycopene from tomatoes, sauces, juices, supplements and fortified or coloured products at the same time.

The practical message is not to fear tomatoes. Ordinary tomato foods in a normal diet are one situation. A different situation arises when drinks, desserts, supplements and coloured products add extra lycopene to the background diet. For most people, product quality remains the main issue, but with high intake of enriched and coloured foods, total exposure becomes more relevant.

Low-carbohydrate relevance

E160d itself is not sugar or starch. Red-coloured products, however, may have very different roles. A sugar-free tomato sauce, a meat dish with tomatoes and a sweet red drink with the same colourant are separate nutritional situations. For LCHF, sugar, fruit concentrates, syrups, starch, flour, maltodextrin and serving size need to be checked.

Lycopene can create an impression of fruitiness, tomato character or antioxidant value. Marketing can easily turn that into a health promise. If the product is sweet, liquid, low in protein and not satiating, the red carotenoid does not fix its nutritional role. A low-carbohydrate diet is better built from real foods: meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, greens, natural fats, fermented foods and simple sauces.

Choosing lycopene sources

If the goal is to get lycopene as part of normal food, tomato products without sugar are the better choice: tomatoes, passata, homemade tomato sauce, stewed vegetables and sauces with olive oil. In these foods colour is connected with food matrix and flavour. If E160d appears in a sweet drink, dessert or flavoured mix, it is primarily a colourant, not a complete vegetable source.

On labels, E160d may appear as lycopene, tomato lycopene or simply E160d. The next step is to read the whole formula. If the product is low in carbohydrate, used occasionally and well tolerated, lycopene colour is usually not a problem. If the product is sweet, ultra-processed or replaces real food every day, the red colour should not be allowed to mislead.