Isopropyl acetate
Isopropyl acetate · Propan-2-ol acetateCAS 108-21-4
Listed as a flavouring agent by the US.
Listed as flavouring agents and adjuvants (US)
- United States: Flavoring agent or adjuvant — FDA, Substances Added to Food: ISOPROPYL ACETATE
Isopropyl acetate is used as an extraction solvent and as a flavouring agent. It is a clear colourless liquid with a characteristic odour.
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 | Permitted, with conditions | Named in the list of synthetic flavoring substances and adjuvants in 21 CFR 172.515(b), which may be safely used in food in the minimum quantity required to produce their intended effect. The section is held on this site as the page synthetic-flavoring-substances-and-adjuvants; read it for the conditions. | 21 CFR 172.515retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| 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.
| United States | — | 1 no quantity stated |
|---|
No regulator sets a figure for Isopropyl acetate. 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.
What it is made from
Made by esterifying propan-2-ol with acetic acid.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
- CAS registry number
- 108-21-4
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.
Isopropyl Acetate
Synonyms: Propan-2-ol acetate
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- Specification history
- Prepared at the 26th JECFA (1982), published in FNP 25 (1982) and in FNP 52 (1992) superseding specifications prepared at the 25th JECFA (1981), published in FNP 19 (1981). Metals and arsenic specifications revised at the 63rd JECFA (2004). No ADI was allocated at the 25th JECFA (1981)
- Chemical names
- Isopropyl acetate, propan-2-ol acetate
- C.A.S. number
- 108-22-5
- Chemical formula
- C 5 H 10 O 2
- Formula weight
- 102.13
- Assay
- Not less than 99%
- DESCRIPTION
- Clear colourless liquid having a characteristic odour
- FUNCTIONAL USES
- Extraction solvent, Flavouring agent (see "Flavouring agents" monograph JECFA no 305),
- METHOD OF ASSAY
- Transfer 25.0 ml of 1 N potassium hydroxide TS into a suitable heat-resistant pressure bottle provided with a tight closure that can be securely fastened, and then add 10 ml of isopropanol and a few pieces of glass rod. To the mixture in the pressure bottle add about 1.3 g of the sample contained in a sealed glass ampoule and accurately weighed. Cap the bottle, shake it vigorously to break the ampoule, and allow it to stand at room temperature for 30 min. Uncap the bottle, add phenolphthalein TS, and titrate with 0.5 N sulfuric acid to the disappearance of the pink colour. Perform a residual blank titration. Each ml of 0.5 N sulfuric acid is equivalent to 51.07 mg of C 5 H 10 O 2 .
Identification
- Solubility (Vol. 4)
- Sparingly soluble in water; miscible with ethanol and ether
- Specific gravity (Vol. 4)
- d (20, 20): 0.872 - 0.874 d (25, 25): 0.866 - 0.869
- Boiling point (Vol. 4)
- About 88 o
- Infrared absorption
- The infrared spectrum of the sample corresponds with the reference infrared spectrum below
Purity criteria
- Water (Vol. 4)
- Not more than 0.2% (Karl Fischer Method)
- Non-volatile residue (Vol. 4)
- Not more than 5 mg/100 ml
- Acidity
- Not more than 0.01% (as acetic acid) Transfer 69 ml (60 g) into a 250-ml Erlenmeyer flask, add phenolphthalein TS and titrate with 0.1 N ethanolic potassium hydroxide to a pink end-point that persists for at least 15 sec. Not more than 1 ml is required.
- Lead (Vol. 4)
- 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.”
- Infrared spectrum
- Isopropyl acetate
Every name it appears under
2 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
Other names
- Isopropyl acetate
- Propan-2-ol acetate
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 Isopropyl acetate?
- Isopropyl acetate is used as an extraction solvent and as a flavouring agent. It is a clear colourless liquid with a characteristic odour.
- What is Isopropyl acetate used for in food?
- It is listed as a flavouring agent — the role the US assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Is Isopropyl acetate banned in Europe?
- No. Isopropyl acetate is not on the EU's list of authorised food additives, but it would not be expected to be: every role regulators give it — flavouring agent — the EU regulates under separate law. Its absence from the additives list says nothing about whether it is permitted in Europe.
- Where is Isopropyl acetate permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, the US permits it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
- Is Isopropyl acetate vegan?
- Yes. Isopropyl acetate is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.
Sources for this page
- us-listings retrieved 2026-10-18
- jecfaspecs retrieved 2026-09-23
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