Flavor ingredient regulatory record
D-Sorbitol
D-Sorbitol is an alcohol in the sweet family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3029 (CAS 50-70-4).
- FEMA
- 3029
- CAS
- 50-70-4
- Formula
- C6H14O6
- EC
- 200-061-5
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 50-70-4.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: D-Glucitol, Glucitol, D-, Sorbitol, Diakarmon, Sionon, Sorbit, Sorbol, D-Sorbol, L-Gulitol, Neosorb, Sorbex M, Sorbex Rp.
Can D-Sorbitol be labeled natural?
Nature makes D-Sorbitol, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial D-Sorbitol, 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.
- 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
D-Sorbitol is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3029. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 184.1835.
European Union and United Kingdom
No EU FL number is on file for D-Sorbitol. 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)
D-Sorbitol 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. D-Sorbitol appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 50-70-4, where EPA names it D-Glucitol.
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: Sweet taste, approx 60% as sweet as sugar (wt/wt).
Where it is used
Typical applications for D-Sorbitol are not on file yet.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to D-Sorbitol by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-Xylose | 3606 | 83% | In nature |
| Dihydroxyacetone dimer | 4033 | 82% | Not determined |
| Erythritol | 4819 | 77% | In nature |
| N-(2-Hydroxyethyl)galactonamide | 4254 | 75% | In nature |
| Ascorbic Acid | 2109 | 73% | In nature |
D-Sorbitol FAQ
Is D-Sorbitol on the FEMA GRAS list?
It is. FEMA number 3029 covers D-Sorbitol. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 184.1835.
What is the FEMA number for D-Sorbitol?
The FEMA number for D-Sorbitol is 3029 and its CAS registry number is 50-70-4. Its flavor category is sweet.
Is D-Sorbitol natural or artificial?
The process decides for D-Sorbitol. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic D-Sorbitol 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.
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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 D-SORBITOL under CAS 50-70-4 and carries its FEMA number and its 21 CFR citations. The inventory is searchable at FDA. FDA records its technical effect as color or coloring adjunct, drying agent, flavoring agent or adjuvant, humectant, nutrient supplement, nutritive sweetener, ph control agent, solvent or vehicle, stabilizer or thickener, 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.