Acetone peroxides

CAS 1336-17-0

Listed as a flour treatment agent by Canada.

Listed as flour treatment agents (CA)
Chemical structure of Acetone peroxides, from PubChem compound 15908632
Structure from PubChem CID 15908632 (National Library of Medicine, public domain). A depiction of one compound: where a listing covers a family, or a substance has no single structure, this page shows none.

Acetone peroxides are flour bleaching and maturing agents. They act quickly, letting freshly milled flour be used without the weeks of natural ageing it would otherwise need.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Acetone peroxides by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
Australia and New ZealandFood Standards Australia New ZealandNo listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it.
CanadaHealth CanadaPermitted

no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice)

3 permitted uses

Show every permitted use
  • In: Bread. Purpose: Flour treatment agent. Limit: Good Manufacturing Practice. — Health Canada, List of Permitted Flour Treatment Agents (List 2), item A.1(a)
  • In: Unstandardized bakery products. Purpose: Flour treatment agent. Limit: Good Manufacturing Practice. — Health Canada, List of Permitted Flour Treatment Agents (List 2), item A.1(b)
  • In: White flour; Whole wheat flour. Purpose: Flour treatment agent. Limit: Good Manufacturing Practice. — Health Canada, List of Permitted Flour Treatment Agents (List 2), item A.1(c)
Health Canada, List of Permitted Flour Treatment Agents (List 2)and 2 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-17
European UnionEuropean Commission / EFSANo listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it.
Great BritainFood Standards Agency / Food Standards ScotlandNo listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it.
JapanConsumer Affairs AgencyNo listing matchedThis site imports only Japan’s list of designated additives (Appended Table 1 to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act), matched by English name. Existing additives, natural flavouring agents and ordinary foods used as additives are permitted outside that list and are not imported, so an empty row does not show that Japan does not permit the substance.
South KoreaMinistry of Food and Drug SafetyNo listing matchedThis site imports Part III of South Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, matched by CAS number, then INS number, then exact name. Mixed preparations and sanitisers are not imported, and an entry whose identifiers disagreed with a page’s is held for review, so an empty row does not show that South Korea does not permit the substance.
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted, with conditions21 CFR 172.802retrieved 2026-10-17
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFANot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.

How much is permitted

A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.

Canada—3 GMP
United States—1 no quantity stated

No regulator sets a figure for Acetone peroxides. That is not an absence of control: where the listing says quantum satis or good manufacturing practice, the quantity is limited to what the effect requires.

What it is made from

Produced by reacting acetone with hydrogen peroxide. They decompose during dough processing.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian

Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.

CAS registry number
1336-17-0
InChIKey
XJHMOGCOFPLTNG-UHFFFAOYSA-N
PubChem
CID 15908632

Every name it appears under

20 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

CAS registry number

  • 1336-17-0
  • 2614-76-8

As it appears in regulation

  • Acetone peroxides

Other names

  • (1-METHYLETHYLIDENE)BIS(HYDROPEROXIDE)
  • (1-methylethylidene)bis-Hydroperoxide
  • (1-Methylethylidene)bis[hydroperoxide], 9CI
  • 1336-17-0 (Monomer); 1073-91-2 (Dimer)
  • 2,2-DIHYDROPEROXY PROPANE, (<= 25% WITH INERT ORGANIC SOLID)
  • 2,2-DIHYDROPEROXY PROPANE, [<= 25% WITH INERT ORGANIC SOLID]
  • 2,2-dihydroperoxypropane
  • 2-Propanone peroxide
  • 2Propanone peroxide
  • 3,3,6,6-tetramethyl-1,2,4,5-tetroxane
  • Acetone peroxide
  • Hydroperoxide, (1-methylethylidene)bis-
  • Isopropylidene hydroperoxide, 8CI
  • Keetox
  • propane-2,2-diperoxol
  • Triacetone peroxide
  • XJHMOGCOFPLTNG-UHFFFAOYSA-N

Hazard reference values

No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Common questions

Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.

What is Acetone peroxides?
Acetone peroxides are flour bleaching and maturing agents. They act quickly, letting freshly milled flour be used without the weeks of natural ageing it would otherwise need.
What is Acetone peroxides used for in food?
It is listed as a flour treatment agent — the role Canada assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
Is Acetone peroxides banned in Europe?
No. Acetone peroxides does not appear on the EU's list of authorised food additives, which is not the same as being banned: the EU permits an additive only where it has authorised it, and usually the reason for an absence is that no one applied. The EU has made no finding against this substance. It does mean it may not be used as a food additive in the EU today.
Where is Acetone peroxides permitted?
Of the seven regulators this site reads, Canada and the US permit it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
Is Acetone peroxides vegan?
Yes. Acetone peroxides is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.

Sources for this page

  • ca retrieved 2026-10-17
  • ecfr retrieved 2026-10-17

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable: a JSON record of this additive is given on request —how to ask for access.

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