Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Glucose pentaacetate
Glucose pentaacetate is an ester in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2524 (CAS 3891-59-6).
- FEMA
- 2524
- CAS
- 3891-59-6
- EU FL
- 09.258
- Formula
- C16H22O11
- EC
- 223-439-1
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 83-87-4.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: D-Glucose, 2,3,4,5,6-pentaacetate, Penta-O-acetyl-aldehydo-D-glucose, 2,3,4,5,6-Penta-O-acetyl-D-glucose, d-glucose, 2,3,4,5,6-pentaacetate, 2,3,4,5,6-penta-o-acetyl-d-glucose, penta-o-acetylglucopyranose, (2r,3r,4s,5r)-6-oxohexane-1,2,3,4,5-pentayl pentaacetate, d-glucose 2,3,4,5,6-pentaacetate, glucose 2,3,4,5,6-pentaacetate, d-glucose,2,3,4,5,6-pentaacetate, 2,3,4,5,6-penta-o-acetylhexose, (2r,3r,4s,5r)-1,2,4,5-tetrakis(acetyloxy)-6-oxohexan-3-yl acetate.
Can Glucose pentaacetate be labeled natural?
Glucose pentaacetate occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: glucose pentaacetate won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized glucose pentaacetate 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
Glucose pentaacetate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2524. 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 09.258, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
Glucose pentaacetate 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. Glucose pentaacetate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 3891-59-6, where EPA names it D-Glucose, 2,3,4,5,6-pentaacetate.
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, fruity, syrupy.
Where it is used
Glucose pentaacetate is used in beverage, confection, fruit flavors, desserts and bakery, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Glucose pentaacetate by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tributyrin | 2223 | 70% | In nature |
| Propyleneglycol dibutyrate | 4466 | 67% | Not determined |
| Butyl butyryllactate | 2190 | 63% | In nature |
| Tributyl acetylcitrate | 3080 | 61% | In nature |
| Sorbitan Monostearate | 3028 | 55% | In nature |
More esters in this index
Benzyl cinnamate · Yuzunone · 3-Mercapto-3-methylbutyl formate · Piperonyl acetate · cis and trans-p-1(7)8-Menthadien-2-yl acetate · l-Bornyl acetate
Glucose pentaacetate FAQ
Does glucose pentaacetate have FEMA GRAS status?
Glucose pentaacetate holds FEMA GRAS status under FEMA number 2524. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
How do I cite glucose pentaacetate by FEMA or CAS number?
Cite glucose pentaacetate as FEMA 2524 or CAS 3891-59-6; both point to the same entry. FEMA files it in the fruity flavor category.
Can glucose pentaacetate be labeled a natural flavor?
Since glucose pentaacetate is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when glucose pentaacetate 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 glucose pentaacetate be used in the EU and UK?
Glucose pentaacetate is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 09.258 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
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Guides: What Is FEMA GRAS? · Natural vs artificial · Filing a GRAS notification
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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 GLUCOSE PENTAACETATE under CAS 83-87-4 and carries its FEMA number and its 21 CFR citations. 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.