Ecotoxicological Effects of Synthetic Food Dyes on Daphnia magna and Lemna minor
Abstract
ABSTRACT Synthetic food dyes are widely used in Ghana, yet their ecological effects on freshwater ecosystems remain understudied. This study investigated the acute toxicity of five commonly used synthetic food dyes (tartrazine, allura red, sunset yellow, carmoisine, and green S) on two bioindicators, Daphnia magna and Lemna minor , following OECD 202 (2006) and OECD TG 221 protocols. The physicochemical analysis suggested that synthetic dyes, even in dilute form, can alter water chemistry. Although the electrical conductivity (EC), salinity, and total dissolved solids (TDS) values for sunset yellow were relatively low (8.12 mS/cm, 7.50 psu, and 2.98 g/L, respectively), tartrazine, carmoisine, and green S recorded high levels of EC, TDS, and salinity. Levels of Cd and Hg in all the dyes were below the detection limit (
Fields of Study & Subjects
Dye analysis and toxicity
Enzyme-mediated dye degradation
Melamine detection and toxicity
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Applied Toxicology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Volume
- 46
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 2711–2728
- Publication date
- 14 January 2026
- Language
- EN