Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Glyceryl monooleate
Glyceryl monooleate is an ester in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2526 (CAS 111-03-5). Its odor is sweet, fruity, creamy, buttery, estery.
- FEMA
- 2526
- CAS
- 111-03-5
- JECFA
- 919
- Formula
- C21H40O4
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 25496-72-4.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 9-Octadecenoic acid (9Z)-, 2,3-dihydroxypropyl ester, Olein, 1-mono-, 9-Octadecenoic acid (Z)-, 2,3-dihydroxypropyl ester, Glycerol 1-monooleate, α-Monoolein, 1-Monoolein, 1-Oleylglycerol, 1-Oleoylglycerol, 1-Monooleoylglycerol, Glycerin 1-monooleate, Glycerol α-cis-9-octadecenate, Glycerol α-monooleate.
Can Glyceryl monooleate be labeled natural?
Since glyceryl monooleate is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when glyceryl monooleate 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
Glyceryl monooleate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2526. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 172.515 and 21 CFR 184.1323.
European Union and United Kingdom
No EU FL number is on file for Glyceryl monooleate. 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 919, evaluated at the 57th meeting in 2001. 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. Glyceryl monooleate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 111-03-5, where EPA names it 9-Octadecenoic acid (9Z)-, 2,3-dihydroxypropyl ester.
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: Sweet, fruity, creamy, buttery, estery.
Where it is used
Glyceryl monooleate is used in beverage, dairy, confection, bakery and sauces, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Glyceryl monooleate by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glyceryl monostearate | 2527 | 92% | In nature |
| Dodecyl lactate | 4482 | 85% | Not determined |
More esters in this index
2-Pentyl 2-methylpentanoate · 3-Hexenyl 3-methylbutanoate · Tetrahydrofurfuryl cinnamate · 2-Acetoxy-3-butanone · Isoamyl phenylacetate · Ethyl Acetate
Glyceryl monooleate FAQ
Is glyceryl monooleate FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists glyceryl monooleate as GRAS under FEMA number 2526. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515 and 21 CFR 184.1323.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for glyceryl monooleate?
Glyceryl monooleate is FEMA 2526, CAS 111-03-5. FEMA files it in the fruity flavor category.
Does glyceryl monooleate count as natural in the US and the EU?
Glyceryl monooleate occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: glyceryl monooleate won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized glyceryl monooleate is artificial. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic glyceryl monooleate identical-to-natural.
Is glyceryl monooleate approved in the EU?
No EU FL number is on file for glyceryl monooleate. It has a JECFA evaluation (JECFA 919), which the EU list draws on, but the Union List entry itself should be confirmed before EU use.
Has JECFA evaluated glyceryl monooleate?
Yes. JECFA number 919, evaluated at the 57th meeting in 2001. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
How is glyceryl monooleate described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe glyceryl monooleate as sweet, fruity, creamy, buttery, estery. It is used in beverage, dairy, confection, bakery and sauces.
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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 GLYCERYL MONOOLEATE under CAS 25496-72-4 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 anticaking agent or free-flow agent, drying agent, emulsifier or emulsifier salt, flavoring agent or adjuvant, humectant.
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.