Zein

CAS 9010-66-6

Zein is the protein of maize, used as an edible coating and glaze — a plant alternative to shellac for polishing sweets, nuts and pills.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Zein by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted21 CFR 184.1984retrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFANot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.

What it is made from

Extracted with alcohol from corn gluten meal, a maize milling by-product.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
CAS registry number
9010-66-6

Every name it appears under

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

CAS registry number

  • 9010-66-6

As it appears in regulation

  • Zein

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

  • ecfr 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/zein.json