What is the purple ink used to stamp meat usually made from?
Question #45174. Asked by EbonyUK.
Last updated Jun 09 2021.
Ocelot's_purr
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Ocelot's_purr 21 year member
19 replies
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Grape skins.
Mar 12 2004, 11:52 AM
fosse4
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fosse4
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Its a synthetic called C2 - Methyl Violet.
Mar 12 2004, 11:53 AM
Ocelot's_purr
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Ocelot's_purr 21 year member
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Hmmm... Depending on the country, it's either C2 Methyl Violet OR grape skins OR a secret USDA-approved formula! The simple, traditional answer to this trivia question is that they make it from grape skins. For example, see http://www.corsinet.com/trivia/v-triv.html But I just looked it up on the internet, and in Europe they do use the synthetic C2 dye. In the USA, it's a bit more of a mystery, though; the official government answer is that it "is made from a food-grade vegetable dye. The exact formula is proprietary/owned by the maker of the dye" according to the USDA.