Castor oil
8001-79-4 · Castor oil · fats and oils, from animal or vegetable food sources; castor oil; b: esters of glycerol with linear fatty acids, saturated or unsaturated, with an even number of carbon atoms from 8 to 20 inclusive and/or with adipic, citric, 12-hydroxystearic (oxystearin · FCM no 527 · ricinolein · 1503 · 2,3-bis[[(Z)-12-hydroxyoctadec-9-enoyl]oxy]propyl (Z)-12-hydroxyoctadec-9-enoate · Castor oilINS 1503CAS 8001-79-4
Listed as an emulsifier, an anticaking agent and a carrier by Codex, the US and Canada.
Listed as emulsifiers (US, Codex) · anticaking agents (US, Codex) · carriers (CA, Codex) · lubricants and release agents (CA, US) · solvents and vehicles (CA, US) · flavour enhancers (US) · glazing and surface-finishing agents (Codex) · flavouring agents and adjuvants (US)
- United States: Emulsifier or emulsifier salt — FDA, Substances Added to Food: CASTOR OIL (RICINUS COMMUNIS L.)
- Codex Alimentarius: Emulsifier — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 1503
- United States: Anticaking agent or free-flow agent — FDA, Substances Added to Food: CASTOR OIL (RICINUS COMMUNIS L.)
- Codex Alimentarius: Anticaking agent — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 1503
- Canada: Carrier solvent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Solvents (List 15)
- Codex Alimentarius: Carrier — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 1503
- Canada: Release agent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Food Additives with Other Purposes of Use (List 8)
- United States: Lubricant or release agent — FDA, Substances Added to Food: CASTOR OIL (RICINUS COMMUNIS L.)
- Canada: Carrier solvent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Solvents (List 15)
- United States: Solvent or vehicle — FDA, Substances Added to Food: CASTOR OIL (RICINUS COMMUNIS L.)
- United States: Flavor enhancer — FDA, Substances Added to Food: CASTOR OIL (RICINUS COMMUNIS L.)
- Codex Alimentarius: Glazing agent — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 1503
- United States: Flavoring agent or adjuvant — FDA, Substances Added to Food: CASTOR OIL (RICINUS COMMUNIS L.)
Castor oil is a release agent and component of confectionery coatings, used to stop sweets sticking together.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | No 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. | ||
| Canada | Permitted | no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice) 2 permitted uses Show every permitted use
| Health Canadaand 1 further provisionretrieved 2026-10-17 |
| European Union | No 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 Britain | No 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. | ||
| Japan | No 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 Korea | Permitted, with conditions | Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 1. …Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 1. 일반식품첨가물 (general food additives), 피마자유 (“Castor oil”, the English the Code prints beside it); the Code marks it as also usable as a processing aid; 2. 가공보조제 (processing aids), 피마자유 (“Castor oil”, the English the Code prints beside it); the Code marks it as also usable as a general food additive. Main use (주용도) of 피마자유: 피막제. Standard for use (사용기준) of 피마자유: (1) [may be used only for the purpose or in the food the sentence states] “피마자유는 정제류의 피막제 목적에 한하여 사용하여야 한다.” Main use (주용도) of 피마자유: 이형제. Standard for use (사용기준) of 피마자유: (1) [may be used only in the foods listed; sets a limit on the amount used] “피마자유는 아래의 식품에 한하여 사용하여야 한다. 피마자유의 사용량은 1. 캔디류 : 0.5g/kg 이하” The Korean is the standard as published. There is no official English translation of the current Code (the English version on MFDS’s website is the 2020 edition and has no legal effect); the English in square brackets is this site’s description of what each sentence does, not a translation of the foods or the levels. Compositional specifications (Part IV) are not imported, nor are the general standards in Part II, which apply to every additive. | Standards and Specifications for Food Additives (식품첨가물의 기준 및 규격), MFDS Notification, Part III (Standards for use, by item)retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| United States | Permitted, with conditions | 21 CFR 172.876retrieved 2026-10-17 | |
| Codex Alimentarius | Permitted, with conditions | 4 food categories highest permitted level 2,100 mg/kg Show every food category and its notes
| CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 1503and 3 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07 |
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 | — | 2 GMP |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | — | 1 no quantity stated |
| United States | — | 1 no quantity stated |
| Codex Alimentarius | 350 mg/kg – 2,100 mg/kg | 4 numeric limit |
What it is made from
Pressed from the seed of Ricinus communis. The seed also contains ricin, which stays in the pressed cake and does not carry into the refined oil.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
- CAS registry number
- 8001-79-4
How JECFA defines it
The international specification for identity and purity, prepared by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives and published by FAO. It is a different document from any above, written by a different body and revised on its own cycle; it is advisory, and a country adopts it or does not.
INS 1503 Castor Oil
The fixed oil obtained from the seed of Ricinus Communis L. (family Euphorbiaceae ) is essentially the triglyceride of ricinoleic acid.
Synonyms: Ricinus oil; INS No. 1503
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- Specification history
- Prepared at the 27th JECFA (1983), published in FNP 28 (1983) and in FNP 52 (1992) Metals and arsenic specifications revised at the 63rd JECFA (2004) An ADI of 0-0.7 mg/kg bw established at the 23rd JECFA (1979)
- C.A.S. number
- 8001-79-4
- DESCRIPTION FUNCTIONAL USES Solubility (Vol. 4)
- Pale yellow or almost colourless, clear, viscous liquid, with a faint, mild odour Carrier solvent, release agent Soluble in 95% ethanol; miscible with absolute ethanol; slightly soluble in light petroleum
Identification
- Specific gravity (Vol. 4) Refractive index (Vol. 4)
- 0.952 - 0.966 n (20, D): 1.477 - 1.481
Purity criteria
- Acid value (Vol. 4) Hydroxyl value (Vol. 4) Saponification value (Vol. 4) Iodine value (Vol. 4) Lead (Vol. 4)
- Not more than 2 160 - 168 176 - 185 83 - 88 Not more than 2 mg/kg Determine using an atomic absorption technique appropriate to the specified level. The selection of sample size and method of sample preparation may be based on the principles of the method described in Volume 4, “Instrumental Methods.”
Every name it appears under
8 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
INS number
- 1503
CAS registry number
- 8001-79-4
As it appears in regulation
- Castor oil
Other names
- Castor oil
- fats and oils, from animal or vegetable food sources; castor oil; b: esters of glycerol with linear fatty acids, saturated or unsaturated, with an even number of carbon atoms from 8 to 20 inclusive and/or with adipic, citric, 12-hydroxystearic (oxystearin
- FCM no 527
- ricinolein
Systematic names
- 2,3-bis[[(Z)-12-hydroxyoctadec-9-enoyl]oxy]propyl (Z)-12-hydroxyoctadec-9-enoate
Hazard reference values
| Type | Value | Population | Assessed by | Opinion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADI | 0.7 mg/kg bw/day | — | JECFA | 1979 |
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 INS 1503?
- INS 1503 is Castor oil. Castor oil is a release agent and component of confectionery coatings, used to stop sweets sticking together.
- What is Castor oil used for in food?
- It is listed as an emulsifier, an anticaking agent and a carrier — the role Codex, the US and Canada assign it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Is Castor oil banned in Europe?
- No. Castor oil 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 Castor oil permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, Canada, South Korea, the US and the Codex standard 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 Castor oil vegan?
- Yes. Castor oil 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
- kr retrieved 2026-10-18
- ecfr retrieved 2026-10-17
- gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07
- jecfaspecs retrieved 2026-09-23
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