Inositol
41546-34-3 · 488-54-0 · 488-55-1 · 488-58-4 · 488-59-5 · 551-72-4 · 643-10-7 · 643-12-9 · 6917-35-7 · 87-89-8 · 1D-Chiro-inositol · 1L-Chiro-inositol · Allo-inositol · alloinositol · an inositol · chiro-inositol · cis-1,2,3,5-trans-4,6-Cyclohexanehexol · cis-Inositol · Cocositol · Cyclohexane-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexaol · cyclohexane-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexol · Cyclohexanehexol · Cyclohexitol · D-(+)-chiro-Inositol · D-chiro Inositol · D-chiro-Inositol · d-Inositol · D-myo-Inositol · Dambose · epi-Inositol · i-Inositol · Inosital · Inosite · Inositene · Inositina · inositol · Inositol, meso- · Inositol, myo- · INOTL · Iso-inositol · L-chiro-Inositol · L-Inositol · Meat sugar · meso-Inositol · Mesoinosit · Mesoinosite · mesoinositol · Mesol · Mesovit · Muco-Inositol · myo-inositol · Myoinosite · Myoinositol · Neo-inositol · Nucite · Phaseomannite · Phaseomannitol · Quercinitol · Scyllite · Scyllitol · Scyllo-inositol · cis-1,2,3,5-trans-4,6-cyclohexanehexol · InositolCAS 87-89-8
Listed as a nutrient supplement by the US.
Listed as nutrient supplements (US)
- United States: Nutrient supplement — FDA, Substances Added to Food: INOSITOL
- United States: Nutrient supplements — 21 CFR 184.1370, citing 21 CFR 170.3(o)(20)
Inositol is added to infant formula and some fortified drinks. It occurs widely in plants, notably as phytic acid in grains and pulses.
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 | Permitted, with conditions | Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 3. …Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 3. 영양강화제 (nutrient fortifiers), 이노시톨; nutrient: 기타. Standard for use (사용기준) of 이노시톨: (1) [to be used under the general standard for use in II. 2. 1), the minimum amount that achieves the technical effect, with no limit set for this additive in particular] “II. 2. 1)의 규정에 따라 사용하여야 한다.” 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 | 21 CFR 184.1370retrieved 2026-10-17 | |
| Codex Alimentarius | Not 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.
| South Korea | — | 1 no quantity stated |
|---|---|---|
| United States | — | 1 no quantity stated |
No regulator sets a figure for Inositol. 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.
GRAS notices to the FDA
A GRAS notice is a company’s conclusion that a substance is generally recognised as safe for the use it describes. FDA’s letter responds to that conclusion, for that notifier and that use. It is not a listing in 21 CFR, and it is not counted as a US permission above. The substance and use are as FDA’s inventory words them; this site matched the notice to this page by exact name.
GRN No. 1198 · Inositol · Sichuan Bohaoda Biological Technology Co., Ltd.
Intended use: Intended for use as an ingredient at a level up to 250 mg/kg in flavored and enhanced waters, soft drinks, dry milks, fruit and vegetable juices, and fruit drinks.
FDA’s response (2025-02-03): FDA has no questions
What it is made from
Extracted from corn steep liquor, a by-product of maize wet milling, or produced by fermentation.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
- CAS registry number
- 87-89-8
- InChIKey
- CDAISMWEOUEBRE-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- PubChem
- CID 892
Every name it appears under
63 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
CAS registry number
- 41546-34-3
- 488-54-0
- 488-55-1
- 488-58-4
- 488-59-5
- 551-72-4
- 643-10-7
- 643-12-9
- 6917-35-7
- 87-89-8
As it appears in regulation
- Inositol
Other names
- 1D-Chiro-inositol
- 1L-Chiro-inositol
- Allo-inositol
- alloinositol
- an inositol
- chiro-inositol
- cis-1,2,3,5-trans-4,6-Cyclohexanehexol
- cis-Inositol
- Cocositol
- Cyclohexane-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexaol
- cyclohexane-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexol
- Cyclohexanehexol
- Cyclohexitol
- D-(+)-chiro-Inositol
- D-chiro Inositol
- D-chiro-Inositol
- d-Inositol
- D-myo-Inositol
- Dambose
- epi-Inositol
- i-Inositol
- Inosital
- Inosite
- Inositene
- Inositina
- inositol
- Inositol, meso-
- Inositol, myo-
- INOTL
- Iso-inositol
- L-chiro-Inositol
- L-Inositol
- Meat sugar
- meso-Inositol
- Mesoinosit
- Mesoinosite
- mesoinositol
- Mesol
- Mesovit
- Muco-Inositol
- myo-inositol
- Myoinosite
- Myoinositol
- Neo-inositol
- Nucite
- Phaseomannite
- Phaseomannitol
- Quercinitol
- Scyllite
- Scyllitol
- Scyllo-inositol
Systematic names
- cis-1,2,3,5-trans-4,6-cyclohexanehexol
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 Inositol?
- Inositol is added to infant formula and some fortified drinks. It occurs widely in plants, notably as phytic acid in grains and pulses.
- What is Inositol used for in food?
- It is listed as a nutrient supplement — the role the US assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Is Inositol banned in Europe?
- No. Inositol is not on the EU's list of authorised food additives, but it would not be expected to be: every role regulators give it — nutrient supplement — the EU regulates under separate law. Its absence from the additives list says nothing about whether it is permitted in Europe.
- Where is Inositol permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, South Korea 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 Inositol vegan?
- Yes. Inositol is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.
Sources for this page
- kr retrieved 2026-10-18
- 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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