Quillaia extract type I

INS 999(i)

Listed as an emulsifier and a foaming agent by Codex.

Listed as emulsifiers (Codex) · foaming and whipping agents (Codex)

Quillaia extract is a foaming agent from the bark of the soapbark tree, used to produce and hold the head on soft drinks, particularly root beer and cream soda.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Quillaia extract type I by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
Australia and New ZealandFood Standards Australia New ZealandPermitted, with conditions

8 food categories

highest permitted level 40 mg/kg

Show every food category
  • 14.1.1.2 Carbonated, mineralised and soda waters — 40 mg/kg
  • 14.1.2.2 Fruit and vegetable juice products — 40 mg/kg
  • 14.1.3 Water based flavoured drinks — 40 mg/kg
  • 14.1.4 Formulated Beverages — 40 mg/kg
  • 14.1.5 Coffee, coffee substitutes, tea, herbal infusions and similar products — 30 mg/kg
  • 14.2.1 Beer and related products — 40 mg/kg
  • 14.2.5 Spirits and liqueurs — 40 mg/kg
  • 14.3 Alcoholic beverages not included in item 14.2 — 40 mg/kg
Food Standards Code, Schedule 15, S15—5and 7 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-17
CanadaHealth CanadaNo 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.Related listings with permitted uses here: Quillaia extract type 2, Quillaia extract (E999). This site cannot tell whether those listings cover this exact form.
European UnionEuropean Commission / EFSANo 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.Related listing with permitted uses here: Quillaia extract (E999). This site cannot tell whether that listing covers this exact form.
Great BritainFood Standards Agency / Food Standards ScotlandNo 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.Related listing with permitted uses here: Quillaia extract (E999). This site cannot tell whether that listing covers this exact form.
JapanConsumer Affairs AgencyNo 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 KoreaMinistry of Food and Drug SafetyNo 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.Related listing with permitted uses here: Quillaia extract (E999). This site cannot tell whether that listing covers this exact form.
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationNot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFAPermitted, with conditions

1 food category

highest permitted level 50 mg/kg

Note 132 Except for use in semi-frozen beverages at 130 mg/kg on a dried basis.

Note 293 On the saponin basis.

CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 999(i), food category 14.1.4retrieved 2026-09-07

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.

Australia and New Zealand30 mg/kg – 40 mg/kg8 numeric limit
Codex Alimentarius50 mg/kg1 numeric limit

What it is made from

Extracted with water from the bark of Quillaja saponaria, a Chilean tree. The active components are saponins, natural surfactants that foam in water.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian

Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.

Every name it appears under

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

INS number

  • 999(i)

Other names

  • Quillaia extract type I
  • QUILLAIA EXTRACTS

Hazard reference values

No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.

Evidence and how bodies read it

What assessing bodies concluded

Each conclusion is paraphrased in the body's own framing, from the published opinion linked beneath it. Where bodies differ, both stand; this site does not adjudicate between them or add a view of its own.

  1. EFSA 2024

    In a follow-up, the FAF Panel concluded that a proposed extension of use of Quillaia extract (E 999) in food supplements could result in exceedance of the ADI of 3 mg saponins/kg bw/day for several population groups, and could not evaluate a proposed use as a carrier for glazing agents. It recommended lower limits for toxic elements and new limits for cadmium and calcium oxalate.

    Source document

  2. EFSA 2019

    The ANS Panel found no genotoxicity concern for Quillaia extract (E 999) and derived an ADI of 3 mg saponins/kg bw/day from a two-year rat study. Refined exposure estimates, including a proposed extension of use in flavourings, did not exceed the ADI, and it recommended revising the specifications to distinguish extracts by saponin content.

    Source document

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 INS 999(i)?
INS 999(i) is Quillaia extract type I. Quillaia extract is a foaming agent from the bark of the soapbark tree, used to produce and hold the head on soft drinks, particularly root beer and cream soda.
What is Quillaia extract type I used for in food?
It is listed as an emulsifier and a foaming agent — the role Codex assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
Where is Quillaia extract type I permitted?
Of the seven regulators this site reads, Australia and New Zealand and the Codex standard 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 Quillaia extract type I vegan?
Yes. Quillaia extract type I is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.

Sources for this page

  • anz retrieved 2026-10-17
  • gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07

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