Quillaia extract type I

INS 999(i)

Used as an emulsifier — Codex also lists it as foaming agent.

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
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

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

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

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

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

  • gsfa 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/quillaia-extract-type-i.json