Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Agar (Gelidium Cartilagineum (l.) Gaillon, Gracilaria Confervoides (l.) Greville And Other Related Red Algae)
Agar (Gelidium Cartilagineum (l.) Gaillon, Gracilaria Confervoides (l.) Greville And Other Related Red Algae) is a natural complex flavoring material, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2012 (CAS 9002-18-0).
- FEMA
- 2012
- CAS
- 9002-18-0
- EC
- 232-658-1
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 9002-18-0.
Structure
Material
Agar (Gelidium Cartilagineum (l.) Gaillon, Gracilaria Confervoides (l.) Greville And Other Related Red Algae) is a natural complex material rather than a single molecule, so it has no one structure. FEMA lists it as AGAR (GELIDIUM CARTILAGINEUM (L.) GAILLON, GRACILARIA CONFERVOIDES (L.) GREVILLE AND OTHER RELATED RED ALGAE).
Identity
Also known as: Agar, Agar-agar, Bengal gelatin, Bengal isinglass, Ceylon isinglass, Chinese isinglass, Japan agar, Japan isinglass, Layor Carang, Agaropectin, mixt. with agarose, Agarose, mixt. with agaropectin, Digenea simplex mucilage.
Can Agar (Gelidium Cartilagineum (l.) Gaillon, Gracilaria Confervoides (l.) Greville And Other Related Red Algae) be labeled natural?
Agar (Gelidium Cartilagineum (l.) Gaillon, Gracilaria Confervoides (l.) Greville And Other Related Red Algae) is a preparation from natural raw material, so it is natural flavor in the United States, natural flavouring in the EU and UK, and natural in Mercosur and Mexico.
- United States
- Natural flavor
- European Union and UK
- Natural flavouring
- Mercosur and Mexico
- Natural
How each market defines the classes: natural vs artificial flavor under 21 CFR 101.22.
Regulatory status, with citations
United States
Agar (Gelidium Cartilagineum (l.) Gaillon, Gracilaria Confervoides (l.) Greville And Other Related Red Algae) is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2012. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 184.1115.
European Union and United Kingdom
No EU FL number is on file for Agar (Gelidium Cartilagineum (l.) Gaillon, Gracilaria Confervoides (l.) Greville And Other Related Red Algae). That is not a finding either way. The Union List covers defined flavouring substances, so natural complex materials are handled as flavouring preparations under Parts B to F and never receive a number, and substances used as additives sit under Regulation 1333/2008 instead. Confirm the position before EU or UK use.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
Agar (Gelidium Cartilagineum (l.) Gaillon, Gracilaria Confervoides (l.) Greville And Other Related Red Algae) has not been evaluated by JECFA as a flavouring agent, or no evaluation is on file.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Agar (Gelidium Cartilagineum (l.) Gaillon, Gracilaria Confervoides (l.) Greville And Other Related Red Algae) appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 9002-18-0, where EPA names it Agar.
Active in US commerce
EPA designates this substance active, so no Notice of Activity Form B is required before manufacturing. What active and inactive mean.
EPA regulatory flags
| Flag | EPA definition | What it obliges |
|---|---|---|
| FRI | Indicates a polymeric substance containing no free-radical initiator in its Inventory name but is considered to cover the designated polymer made with any free-radical initiator regardless of the amount used. | Nothing directly. It widens what the listing covers, so a polymer made with a different initiator is still the listed substance rather than a new one. |
| XU | Indicates a substance exempt from reporting under the Chemical Data Reporting Rule, (40 CFR 711). | Nothing, for this substance, in the CDR census. The exemption belongs to the chemical and not to your company, so every other substance you make above the reporting threshold still counts. Read more |
XU does not establish: Says nothing about hazard, about commercial activity status, or about obligations under any other part of TSCA.
From the EPA non-confidential TSCA Inventory, July 2026 release. EPA also maintains a confidential portion it does not publish. Search the Inventory by CAS number.
Odor and taste
Taste: Tasteless.
Where it is used
Typical applications for Agar (Gelidium Cartilagineum (l.) Gaillon, Gracilaria Confervoides (l.) Greville And Other Related Red Algae) are not on file yet.
Agar (Gelidium Cartilagineum (l.) Gaillon, Gracilaria Confervoides (l.) Greville And Other Related Red Algae) FAQ
Is Agar (Gelidium Cartilagineum (l.) Gaillon, Gracilaria Confervoides (l.) Greville And Other Related Red Algae) on the FEMA GRAS list?
It is. FEMA number 2012 covers Agar (Gelidium Cartilagineum (l.) Gaillon, Gracilaria Confervoides (l.) Greville And Other Related Red Algae). It is also codified at 21 CFR 184.1115.
What is the FEMA number for Agar (Gelidium Cartilagineum (l.) Gaillon, Gracilaria Confervoides (l.) Greville And Other Related Red Algae)?
The FEMA number for Agar (Gelidium Cartilagineum (l.) Gaillon, Gracilaria Confervoides (l.) Greville And Other Related Red Algae) is 2012 and its CAS registry number is 9002-18-0.
Is Agar (Gelidium Cartilagineum (l.) Gaillon, Gracilaria Confervoides (l.) Greville And Other Related Red Algae) natural or artificial?
Made from natural raw material, Agar (Gelidium Cartilagineum (l.) Gaillon, Gracilaria Confervoides (l.) Greville And Other Related Red Algae) carries the natural claim in the United States, in the EU and UK under Regulation 1334/2008, and in Mercosur and Mexico.
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Sources and attribution. The identity and regulatory facts on this page are taken from the FDA Substances Added to Food inventory, a US government record, which lists this substance as AGAR (GELIDIUM SPP.) under CAS 9002-18-0 and carries its FEMA number and its 21 CFR citations. The inventory is searchable at FDA. FDA records its technical effect as emulsifier or emulsifier salt, flavor enhancer, processing aid, stabilizer or thickener, surface-finishing agent, texturizer.
A FEMA GRAS conclusion is reached by the Expert Panel of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States, and the FEMA number names that conclusion. FEMA publishes its own entry for this substance in the FEMA Flavor Library, which is the authoritative record of what the Panel decided and is worth reading alongside this page.
Ambrose Compliance is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by FEMA. FEMA and FEMA GRAS are used here as identifiers for a published regulatory determination, not as marks of any relationship between FEMA and Ambrose.
About this page. Facts come from the FDA Substances Added to Food inventory, the Code of Federal Regulations, the EPA TSCA Inventory, the EU Union List, JECFA and the Ambrose database, with FEMA's published determination cited where it applies; parts of the text are written by Ambrose AI, which can make mistakes. Check the cited source before relying on anything here. This is not regulatory or legal advice.