Dehydroacetic acid

Dehydroacetic acid and its sodium salt are preservatives permitted in the United States for cut or peeled squash. It is a narrow listing: one food, one purpose.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Dehydroacetic acid by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted, with conditions21 CFR 172.130retrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFANot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.

What it is made from

Produced by chemical synthesis from acetic acid derivatives.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
InChIKey
PGRHXDWITVMQBC-UHFFFAOYSA-N
PubChem
CID 122903

Every name it appears under

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

CAS registry number

  • 16807-48-0
  • 520-45-6

As it appears in regulation

  • Dehydroacetic acid

Other names

  • 2-Acetyl-5-hydroxy-3-oxo-4-hexenoic acid, .delta.-lactone
  • 2H-Pyran-2, 3-acetyl-6-methyl-
  • 2H-Pyran-2,4(3H)-dione, 3-acetyl-6-methyl-
  • 3-Acetyl-6-methyl-2,3-dihydropyran-2,4-dione
  • 3-Acetyl-6-methyl-2,4(3H)-pyrandione
  • 3-acetyl-6-methyl-2,4-dioxo-3H-pyran
  • 3-Acetyl-6-methyl-2,4-pyrandione
  • 3-Acetyl-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2,4(3H)-dione
  • 3-Acetyl-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2,4(3H)-dione, enol form
  • 3-Acetyl-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2,4(3H)-dione, ion(1-)
  • 3-acetyl-6-methyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran-2,4-dione
  • 3-acetyl-6-methyl-3H-pyran-2,4-dione
  • 3-Acetyl-6-methyl-pyran-2,4-dione
  • 3-Acetyl-6-Methyldihydropyrandione-2,4(3H)
  • 3-acetyl-6-methylpyran-2,4-dione
  • 3-Acetyl-6-methylpyrandione-2,4
  • 4-Hexenoic acid, .delta.-lactone
  • 4-Hexenoic acid, 2-acetyl-5-hydroxy-3-oxo-, .delta.-lactone
  • Acetic acid, dehydro-
  • Biocide 470F
  • CAS-520-45-6
  • DEHYDROACETIC ACID
  • Dehydroacetic acid (Standard)
  • Dehydroacetic acid 1000 microg/mL in Ethyl acetate
  • Dehydroacetic acid, >=98.0% (T)
  • Dehydroacetic acid, Pharmaceutical Secondary Standard; Certified Reference Material
  • Dehydroacetic acid, United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Reference Standard
  • Epitope ID:613424
  • InChI=1/C8H8O4/c1-4-3-6(10)7(5(2)9)8(11)12-4/h3,7H,1-2H3
  • Methylacetopyronone
  • PGRHXDWITVMQBC-UHFFFAOYSA-
  • WLN: T6OV DV CHJ CV1 F1

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 by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr retrieved 2026-09-07

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

Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/dehydroacetic-acid.json