Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Citric Acid
Citric Acid is an acid in the sour family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2306 (CAS 77-92-9).
- FEMA
- 2306
- CAS
- 77-92-9
- JECFA
- 218
- Formula
- C6H8O7
- EC
- 201-069-1
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 77-92-9.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid, citric acid, anhydrous, aciletten, anhydrous citric acid, citro, citretten, citric acid anhydrous, chemfill, hydrocerol a, 1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, 2-hydroxy-, 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, kyselina citronova.
Can Citric Acid be labeled natural?
Since Citric Acid is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when Citric Acid is synthesized. 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
Citric Acid is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2306. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 184.1033.
European Union and United Kingdom
No EU FL number is on file for Citric Acid. 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)
JECFA number 218, evaluated at the 55th meeting in 2000. ADI not limited.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list. Listed on the EPA TSCA inventory.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Citric Acid appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 77-92-9, where EPA names it 1,2,3-Propanetricarboxylic acid, 2-hydroxy-.
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: Sour, tart, citrus-like acidity.
Where it is used
Citric Acid is used in beverage, confection and all applications, typically as a sour note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Citric Acid by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aconitic acid | 2010 | 84% | In nature |
| 3-Isopropenylpentanedioic acid | 4352 | 70% | In nature |
| Gallic acid | 4994 | 69% | In nature |
| l-Glutamic acid | 3285 | 66% | In nature |
| 2-Oxopentanedioic acid | 3891 | 66% | In nature |
More acids in this index
Sodium Gluconate · Tridecanoic acid · (E,Z)-Geranic acid · 2-Ethylbutyric acid · Propionic acid · cis-3-Hexenoic acid
Citric Acid FAQ
Is Citric Acid on the FEMA GRAS list?
It is. FEMA number 2306 covers Citric Acid. It is also codified at 21 CFR 184.1033.
What is the FEMA number for Citric Acid?
The FEMA number for Citric Acid is 2306 and its CAS registry number is 77-92-9. FEMA files it in the sour flavor category.
Is Citric Acid natural or artificial?
Citric Acid occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: Citric Acid won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized Citric Acid is artificial. 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.
Is Citric Acid approved in the EU?
No EU FL number is on file for Citric Acid. It has a JECFA evaluation (JECFA 218), which the EU list draws on, but the Union List entry itself should be confirmed before EU use.
Has JECFA evaluated Citric Acid?
Yes. JECFA number 218, evaluated at the 55th meeting in 2000. Conclusion: ADI not limited.
Ingredient lookup
Check an ingredient
Start typing to search the ingredient corpus.
Or browse every ingredient page, A to Z.
Guides: What Is FEMA GRAS? · Natural vs artificial · Filing a GRAS notification
Check Citric Acid in a formula
Screened against FEMA GRAS, 21 CFR and EU rules as you build. Free to start.
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 CITRIC ACID under CAS 77-92-9 and carries its FEMA number, its JECFA flavor number and its 21 CFR citations. The inventory is searchable at FDA. FDA records its technical effect as antimicrobial agent, antioxidant, enzyme, flavor enhancer, flavoring agent or adjuvant, leavening agent, ph control agent, sequestrant, solvent or vehicle, surface-active agent.
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.