Question

______ is a natural colouring agent.

• A. Tartrazine
• B. Sunset yellow
• C. Caramel
• D. Erythrosine

Hint:

Caramel is a natural colouring agent, while Tartrazine, Sunset yellow, and Erythrosine are synthetic colouring agents.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept:
Colouring agents are used in pharmaceutical preparations to improve appearance, identification, and patient acceptability. These colouring agents may be broadly classified as:
• Natural colouring agents
• Synthetic colouring agents

Step 1: Understanding the question.
The question asks for a natural colouring agent. Therefore, we must identify which option is obtained naturally and is commonly used as a colourant.

Step 2: Checking each option.
Tartrazine is a synthetic yellow dye. It is not a natural colouring agent.
Sunset yellow is also a synthetic azo dye. It is commonly used as an artificial colour.
Erythrosine is a synthetic red dye. It is not a natural colouring agent.
Caramel is obtained by controlled heating of carbohydrates or sugars. Hence, it is considered a natural colouring agent.

Step 3: Final selection.
Among the given options, only Caramel is a natural colouring agent. \[ \boxed{\text{Caramel}} \]