Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Ammonia
Ammonia is an amine in the savory family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4494 (CAS 7664-41-7). Its odor is pungent, sharp, acrid, ammonia-like.
- FEMA
- 4494
- CAS
- 7664-41-7
- EU FL
- 16.009
- Formula
- H3N
- EC
- 231-635-3
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 24. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 977188-02-5.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Ammonia gas, Spirit of Hartshorn, Nitro-Sil, R 717 (ammonia), Refrigerent R717, Ammonia-14N, R 717, Busan 1474, Spirits of hartshorn, MeSH ID: D000641, Hydrogen nitride (H3N), Hydrogen nitride (H3N2).
Can Ammonia be labeled natural?
Since ammonia is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when ammonia is synthesized. 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.
- 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
Ammonia is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4494. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 184.1138.
European Union and United Kingdom
Listed on the Union List of flavouring substances as FL 16.009, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
Ammonia 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. Ammonia appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 7664-41-7, where EPA names it Ammonia.
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
Odor: Pungent, sharp, acrid, ammonia-like.
Taste: Bitter, sharp, pungent.
Where it is used
Ammonia is used in seasoning, flavor enhancer and savory products, typically as a savory note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Ammonia by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen sulfide | 3779 | 97% | In nature |
| Sulfur Dioxide | 3039 | 64% | In nature |
| Ethylamine | 4236 | 46% | In nature |
| Ethanol | 2419 | 45% | In nature |
| Formic acid | 2487 | 44% | In nature |
More amines in this index
Trimethylamine · 2-Methylbutylamine · Ethylamine · sec-Butylamine · Pentylamine · Isopentylidene isopentylamine
Ammonia FAQ
Is ammonia FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists ammonia as GRAS under FEMA number 4494. It is also codified at 21 CFR 184.1138.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for ammonia?
Ammonia is FEMA 4494, CAS 7664-41-7. FEMA files it in the savory flavor category.
Does ammonia count as natural in the US and the EU?
Ammonia occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: ammonia won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized ammonia is artificial. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic ammonia identical-to-natural.
Is ammonia on the EU Union List?
Ammonia is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 16.009 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
How is ammonia described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe ammonia as pungent, sharp, acrid, ammonia-like. On the palate it is bitter, sharp, pungent. It is used in seasoning, flavor enhancer and savory products.
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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 AMMONIA (ALSO INCLUDES AMMONIUM CHLORIDE) under CAS 977188-02-5 and carries its FEMA number. The inventory is searchable at FDA. FDA records its technical effect as flavoring agent or adjuvant.
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.