On January 27, 2026, the European Commission formally adopted two regulations, approving the inclusion of two new flavoring substances into the EU list of flavorings (EC) No 1334/2008, while making technical amendments to certain CAS numbers in the existing list.
Two New Flavorings Approved for Use
According to the adopted regulations (EU) 2026/175 and (EU) 2026/172, the EU has officially approved the following two substances as food flavorings:
|
FL No. |
Chemical Name |
CAS No. |
JECFA No. |
Purity of the named substance at least 95% unless otherwise specified |
|
16.136 |
3-[3-(2-isopropyl-5-methyl-cyclohexyl)-ureido]-butyric acid ethyl ester |
1160112-20-8 |
2203 |
In category 1.7 – not more than 6 mg/kg In category 1.8 (only cheese analogues) – not more than 6 mg/kg In category 2.1 – not more than 8 mg/kg In category 4.2 (only vegetables) – not more than 8 mg/kg In category 8.2 – not more than 8 mg/kg In category 8.3 – not more than 8 mg/kg In category 9.2 – not more than 8 mg/kg In category 10.2 – not more than 10 mg/kg In category 12.2 – not more than 20 mg/kg In category 12.5 – not more than 10 mg/kg In category 12.6 – not more than 10 mg/kg In category 14.1 – not more than 1,7 mg/kg In category 15.1 – not more than 20 mg/kg |
|
16.137 |
Hesperetin dihydrochalcone |
35400–60-3 |
491 |
In category 1.4 – not more than 10 mg/Kg In category 3 – not more than 10 mg/Kg In category 4.2 – not more than 10 mg/Kg In category 5.2 – not more than 10 mg/Kg In category 5.3 – not more than 10 mg/Kg In category 6.3 – not more than 10 mg/Kg In category 7.1 – not more than 10 mg/Kg In category 7.2 (only savoury crackers) – not more than 10 mg/Kg In category 12.2 – not more than 10 mg/Kg In category 12.6 – not more than 10 mg/Kg In category 14.1 – not more than 10 mg/Kg In category 14.2.1 – not more than 10 mg/Kg In category 15.1 – not more than 10 mg/Kg In category 16 (only dairy, dairy analogues, fruit and vegetable based) – Not more than 10 mg/Kg |
Technical Amendments
In addition to approving the new flavorings, Regulation (EU) 2026/172 also corrects the CAS numbers of four existing flavoring substances listed in Annex I of Regulation No 1334/2008, involving FL No. 08.017, 08.127, 16.041, and 16.132.
Regulation Effective Date
The new regulations will officially take effect 20 days after their publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. At that time, food producers may legally use the newly approved flavoring substances in food products that comply with the specified conditions.
Further Information
3-[3-(2-isopropyl-5-methyl-cyclohexyl)-ureido]-butyric acid ethyl ester
