Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Fumaric acid
Fumaric acid is an acid in the acidic family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2488 (CAS 110-17-8). Its odor is sour, tangy, sharp, citrus.
- FEMA
- 2488
- CAS
- 110-17-8
- JECFA
- 618
- EU FL
- 08.025
- Formula
- C4H4O4
- EC
- 203-743-0
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 110-17-8.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 2-Butenedioic acid (2E)-, 2-Butenedioic acid (E)-, (2E)-2-Butenedioic acid, Allomaleic acid, Boletic acid, trans-Butenedioic acid, trans-1,2-Ethylenedicarboxylic acid, Lichenic acid, 2-Butenedioic acid, (E)-, trans-2-Butenedioic acid, 2-(E)-Butenedioic acid, FC 33.
Can Fumaric acid be labeled natural?
Fumaric acid occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: fumaric acid won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized fumaric 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.
- 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
Fumaric acid is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2488. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 172.350.
European Union and United Kingdom
Listed on the Union List of flavouring substances as FL 08.025, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (JECFA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 618, evaluated at the 53rd meeting in 1999. No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Fumaric acid appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 110-17-8, where EPA names it 2-Butenedioic acid (2E)-.
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: Sour, tangy, sharp, citrus.
Where it is used
Fumaric acid is used in beverage, confection, sour candies and food preservation, typically as a acidic note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Fumaric acid by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Succinic acid | 4719 | 95% | In nature |
| Levulinic acid | 2627 | 88% | In nature |
| L-Malic Acid | 2655 | 87% | In nature |
| 3-Hydroxybenzoic acid | 4431 | 79% | In nature |
| L-Aspartic acid | 3656 | 78% | In nature |
More acids in this index
Benzoic acid · Lactic acid · Succinic acid · L-Malic Acid · Tartaric acid (+)-, (-)-, (+/-)-, meso- · Propionic acid
Fumaric acid FAQ
Does fumaric acid have FEMA GRAS status?
Fumaric acid holds FEMA GRAS status under FEMA number 2488. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.350.
How do I cite fumaric acid by FEMA or CAS number?
Cite fumaric acid as FEMA 2488 or CAS 110-17-8; both point to the same entry. FEMA files it in the acidic flavor category.
Can fumaric acid be labeled a natural flavor?
Since fumaric acid is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when fumaric acid 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.
Can fumaric acid be used in the EU and UK?
Fumaric acid is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 08.025 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
Has JECFA evaluated fumaric acid?
Yes. JECFA number 618, evaluated at the 53rd meeting in 1999. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
What does fumaric acid smell and taste like, and where is it used?
The odor of fumaric acid is sour, tangy, sharp, citrus. Typical uses are beverage, confection, sour candies and food preservation.
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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 FUMARIC ACID under CAS 110-17-8 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, curing or pickling agent, flavoring agent or adjuvant, leavening agent, ph control 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.