Diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC)
Diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC)Diethylpyrocarbonate was used to sterilise beverages cold, avoiding heat treatment of wine, beer and fruit juice. The FDA prohibited it after it was shown to form urethane, a carcinogen, in the treated drink.
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 | No listing matchedHealth Canada’s lists name additives without E or INS numbers, so this site matches them by exact name. A substance listed there under a name this site does not recognise has no row here. | ||
| 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 | No 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 States | Prohibited | 21 CFR 189.140retrieved 2026-10-17 | |
| Codex Alimentarius | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. |
What it is made from
Synthesised from ethyl chloroformate. Its intended advantage was that it decomposed after doing its work; the difficulty was what it decomposed into in the presence of ammonia.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
Every name it appears under
1 recorded name. A label may use any of them.
As it appears in regulation
- Diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC)
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 Diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC)?
- Diethylpyrocarbonate was used to sterilise beverages cold, avoiding heat treatment of wine, beer and fruit juice. The FDA prohibited it after it was shown to form urethane, a carcinogen, in the treated drink.
- Is Diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC) vegan?
- Yes. Diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC) is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.
Sources for this page
- ecfr retrieved 2026-10-17
Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.
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