Aluminium
The short version
Metallic aluminium leaf or powder — a decorative finish on cake decorations and pills.
It's permitted and generally considered safe, but there are a few reasons to be mindful — like sensitivities in some people, debated studies, or intake limits. The Safety section below explains the specifics.
Where it comes from
Pure metallic aluminium, beaten into leaf or atomized to powder. Food-grade material must meet purity criteria distinct from industrial-grade.
How it's used
Decorative finish on cake decorations, sugar-coated dragees, and pharmaceutical pill coatings. Use is decreasing as the EU restricted it in 2014 to specific decorative applications. Pure metallic aluminium has very different absorption from the soluble aluminium salts (E520, E541) — at decorative levels of use it is largely not absorbed.
Safety profile
ADI of 0–1 mg/kg body weight (combined aluminium, EFSA 2008 lowered the limit). The metallic decorative use contributes very little to total aluminium intake compared with naturally aluminium-containing foods (tea, herbs) and aluminium-containing leavening agents. Recurring popular-press concerns about aluminium and Alzheimer's disease have not been substantiated by systematic-review evidence.
Physical & chemical properties
Silver-bright metallic leaf or fine powder. Inert to most foods; surface aluminium oxide layer prevents oxidation. Decorative use only.
Regulation worldwide
Permitted in the EU restricted to external coating of confectionery (since 2014). Not approved as a direct food additive in the US (decorative use is via cosmetic/inactive-ingredient routes).
Educational information only. Not medical or dietary advice.