Brown FK
chemical compound
Brown FK, also called Kipper Brown, Chocolate Brown FK, and C.I. Food Brown 1, is a brown mixture of six synthetic azo dyes, with addition of sodium chloride, and/or sodium sulfate. It is very soluble in water. When used as a food dye, its E number is E154.
It was once used in smoked and cured mackerels and other fish and also in some cooked hams and other meats. It gave a "healthy" color that did not fade during cooking, nor leach.
It is currently not approved for use in the European Union (but was allowed to color kippers to produce orange kippers), in Australia, Austria, Canada, United States, Japan, Switzerland, New Zealand, Norway, and Russia.
In 2011, a review by the European Food Safety Authority concluded that Brown FK was no longer used and the Authority could not conclude on the safety of the substance due to the deficiencies in the available toxicity data. Therefore, it should not be included in the Union list of approved food additives.
The public source identifies “Brown FK” as chemical compound. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Brown, chemical and compound.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Brown FK”, the useful work is to connect “chemical compound” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q425437. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2011.
A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Brown FK”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Brown FK primary sources, Brown FK archive and Brown research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Brown FK”?
- Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
- Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Brown FK” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.