Folic acid (folacin)

CAS 59-30-3

Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, added to flour in many countries specifically to reduce neural tube defects in pregnancy. It is one of the clearest public-health uses of a food additive.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Folic acid (folacin) 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 172.345retrieved 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. It is more stable and more readily absorbed than the folates naturally present in leafy vegetables, which is why the synthetic form is used for fortification.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
CAS registry number
59-30-3
InChIKey
OVBPIULPVIDEAO-LBPRGKRZSA-N
PubChem
CID 135398658

Every name it appears under

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

CAS registry number

  • 59-30-3

As it appears in regulation

  • Folic acid (folacin)

Other names

  • 4-Pteridinol, 2-amino-6-((p-((1,3-dicarboxypropyl)carbamoyl)anilino)methyl)-
  • 935E97BOY8
  • Acfol (Spain)
  • Acide folique
  • Acido folico
  • Acidum folicum
  • Acifolic
  • Antianemia factor
  • Bio Science
  • Cytofol
  • Dosfolat B activ
  • Facid
  • Factor U
  • FOLACID
  • Folacin
  • Folaemin [Netherlands]
  • Folasic (Australia)
  • Folbal
  • Folcidin
  • Foldine
  • Foldine (France)
  • Folettes
  • Foliamin
  • folic acid
  • Folicare
  • Folicet
  • Folico (Italy)
  • Folina (Italy)
  • Folipac
  • Folsaeure
  • Folsan
  • Folsaure
  • Folsav
  • Folvite
  • Glutamic acid, N-(p-(((2-amino-4-hydroxy-6-pteridinyl)methyl)amino)benzoyl)-, l-
  • Incafolic
  • Kyselina listova
  • Lexpec
  • Liver Lactobacillus casei factor
  • Megafol
  • Millafol
  • N-(p-(((2-Amino-4-hydroxy-6-pteridinyl)methyl)amino)benzoyl)-L-glutamic acid
  • N-pteroyl-L-glutamic acid
  • Natur Flow
  • Nifolin [Denmark]
  • Novofolacid [Canada]
  • Preconceive
  • PteGlu
  • Pteroyl-L-glutamic acid
  • Pteroyl-L-monoglutamic acid
  • Pteroylglutamic acid
  • Pteroylmonoglutamic acid
  • Usaf cb-13
  • Vitamin B11
  • Vitamin B9
  • Vitamin Bc
  • Vitamin Be
  • Vitamin M

Systematic names

  • Glutamic acid, N-(p-(((2-amino-4-hydroxypyrimido(4,5-b)pyrazin-6-yl)methyl)amino)benzoyl)-, L
  • N-(4-{[(2-amino-4-oxo-1,4-dihydropteridin-6-yl)methyl]amino}benzoyl)-L-glutamic acid

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/folic-acid-folacin.json