Abstract
Author(s): Pramod K. Biswal*,Manoj K.Mishar ,Anupam Singh Bhadouriya andVivek Kumar Yadav
Colorants aremainly usedtoimpartappearancetothepharmaceuticaldosageforms. Therearemanytypesofpharmaceutical preparationswhich need tobecoloredsuchastablets,tabletscoatings,capsules(hardgelatin,soft gelatin), liquidorals,toothpastes, ointmentsand salvesetc.Thepurposeofcoloringvarieswithdifferentformulations.Coloringsmayberequiredtoincreasetheaestheticappearanceortoprolong thestabilityortoproducestandardpreparationsorforidentificationofaparticularformulation.Colorpsychologysaysthat,thecolorofthe productmay alsoinfluencethe efficacyof therapy. Thus,theprime priorityofcolorantsistoincreasethe aestheticappearanceofthe product,so we cansaythatthecolorantsarethecosmeticsforthepharmaceuticalformulations.Theclassification ofvariouscolorantsincludingFD&Ccategories, thelistsofcolorantsandtheiruses,thedescriptionaboutmajorcolorantswidelyusedintheformulationswasdiscussed hereindetail.Inmany regionsaroundtheworldthereisadistinctionbetweencolorsthatmaybeusedindrugsandthoseforfooduse.Thisreviewalsodiscussesthe StatusofcoloradditivesbasedonCodeofFederalRegulations,Theinternationalregulatorystatus,Coloringsystemsforvariousdosageforms, Colorantblending,Handlingprecautions,Safety,StabilityandStoragedataofvariouscolorants.Legislations, whichgovern theusageofcolorants, includeEuropeanUnionLegislationandUnitedStatesLegislation