Riboflavin, synthetic
Riboflavin, synthetic · RIBOFLAVINS · E101 · 101(i) · RiboflavinsINS 101(i)
Listed as a colour by Codex.
Listed as colours (Codex)
- Codex Alimentarius: Colour — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 101(i)
Synthetic riboflavin is vitamin B2 made by chemical synthesis, used for fortification and as a yellow colour.
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 | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. | ||
| Codex Alimentarius | Permitted, with conditions | 13 food categories no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice) Show every food category and its notes
| CXS 192-1995 Table Three, INS 101(i)and 13 further provisionsretrieved 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.
| Codex Alimentarius | — | 14 GMP |
|---|
No regulator sets a figure for Riboflavin, synthetic. 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
Produced by chemical synthesis from ribose and a substituted aniline.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
Every name it appears under
5 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
E number
- E101
INS number
- 101(i)
As it appears in regulation
- Riboflavins
Other names
- Riboflavin, synthetic
- RIBOFLAVINS
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.
EFSA 2013
The ANS Panel considered it inappropriate to allocate an ADI for riboflavin (E 101(i)) and riboflavin-5'-phosphate sodium (E 101(ii)) because chronic and relevant reproductive toxicity studies were absent. Despite these uncertainties, it concluded that they are unlikely to be of safety concern at the currently authorised uses and use levels.
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 101(i)?
- INS 101(i) is Riboflavin, synthetic. Synthetic riboflavin is vitamin B2 made by chemical synthesis, used for fortification and as a yellow colour.
- What is Riboflavin, synthetic used for in food?
- It is listed as a colour — the role Codex assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Where is Riboflavin, synthetic permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, the Codex standard 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 Riboflavin, synthetic vegan?
- Yes. Riboflavin, synthetic is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.
Sources for this page
- gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07
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