Flavor ingredient regulatory record
alpha -Bisabolene
alpha -Bisabolene is a terpene in the floral family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 5067 (CAS 17627-44-0).
- FEMA
- 5067
- CAS
- 17627-44-0
- EU FL
- 01.027
- Formula
- C15H24
- EC
- 241-610-9
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, 32. Source: FEMA Flavor Ingredient Library.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: (E)-alpha-bisabolene, trans-alpha-bisabolene, 1-Methyl-4-[(2E)-6-methyl-2,5-heptadien-2-yl]cyclohexene, 4-(1,5-Dimethyl-1,4-hexadienyl)-1-methyl cyclohexene, 6-Methyl-2-(4-methylcyclohex-3-enyl)hept-2,5-diene, Cyclohexene, 4-(1,5-dimethyl-1,4-hexadienyl)-1-methyl-, Cyclohexene, 4-[(1E)-1,5-dimethyl-1,4-hexadien-1-yl]-1-methyl, alpha1-bisabolene, 1-methyl-4-(6-methylhepta-2,5-dien-2-yl)cyclohexene, 1,8,12-bisabolatriene, cyclohexene, 4-(1,5-dimethyl-1,4-hexadienyl)-1-methyl-, alpha-bisabolen.
Can alpha -Bisabolene be labeled natural?
The process decides for alpha -Bisabolene. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic alpha -Bisabolene is artificial. The EU and UK grant the natural claim only to that natural route; Mercosur and Mexico call synthetic material identical-to-natural.
- United States
- Natural or artificial, by process
- European Union and UK
- Natural only from natural material
- Mercosur and Mexico
- Natural or identical-to-natural
How each market defines the classes: natural vs artificial flavor under 21 CFR 101.22.
Regulatory status, with citations
United States
alpha -Bisabolene is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 5067, 32. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 172.515.
European Union and United Kingdom
Listed on the Union List of flavouring substances as FL 01.027, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
alpha -Bisabolene 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. alpha -Bisabolene appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 17627-44-0, where EPA names it Cyclohexene, 4-(1,5-dimethyl-1,4-hexadien-1-yl)-1-methyl-.
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 publishes no regulatory flags on this listing. What the flags mean.
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: Bitter, herbal, earthy.
Where it is used
alpha -Bisabolene is used in beverage, fragrance, cosmetics and food flavoring, typically as a floral note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to alpha -Bisabolene by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bisabolene | 3331 | 97% | In nature |
| beta-Bisabolene | 4940 | 87% | In nature |
| Farnesene | 3839 | 81% | In nature |
| Farnesol | 2478 | 80% | In nature |
| (+/-)-Dihydrofarnesol | 4031 | 79% | In nature |
More terpenes in this index
alpha-Ionol · Farnesol · beta-Ionol · alpha-Irone · (-)-Sclareol · Linalool oxide pyranoid
alpha -Bisabolene FAQ
Is alpha -Bisabolene FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists alpha -Bisabolene as GRAS under FEMA number 5067 (32). The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 172.515.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for alpha -Bisabolene?
alpha -Bisabolene is FEMA 5067, CAS 17627-44-0. Its flavor category is floral.
Is alpha -Bisabolene on the EU Union List?
Yes. FL 01.027 is the Union List entry for alpha -Bisabolene, annex I Part A, under Regulation 1334/2008, and the UK keeps the same list.
Does alpha -Bisabolene count as natural in the US and the EU?
Nature makes alpha -Bisabolene, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial alpha -Bisabolene, same molecule. In the EU and UK the natural claim likewise needs the natural route, while Mercosur and Mexico keep a third class, identical-to-natural, for the synthetic material.
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Guides: What Is FEMA GRAS? · Natural vs artificial · Filing a GRAS notification
Check alpha -Bisabolene in a formula
Screened against FEMA GRAS, 21 CFR and EU rules as you build. Free to start.
Sources and attribution. The FEMA number and GRAS status on this page name a conclusion reached by the Expert Panel of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States. FDA does not list this substance by FEMA number in its Substances Added to Food inventory. Its identity is attested by EU Union List of flavouring substances, EPA TSCA Chemical Substance Inventory, matched on CAS 17627-44-0.
FEMA publishes its own entry for this substance in the FEMA Flavor Library, which is the authoritative record 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.