Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Nitrous Oxide
Nitrous Oxide is a nitrogen, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2779 (CAS 10024-97-2). Its odor is weak, pleasant odor.
- FEMA
- 2779
- CAS
- 10024-97-2
- Formula
- N2O
- EC
- 233-032-0
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 10024-97-2.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Nitrogen oxide (N2O), Laughing gas, Dinitrogen oxide, Dinitrogen monoxide, Dinitrogen oxide (N2O), Hyponitrous acid anhydride, Factitious air, R 744A, MeSH ID: D009609, laughing gas, dinitrogen oxide, dinitrogen monoxide.
Can Nitrous Oxide be labeled natural?
The process decides for Nitrous Oxide. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic Nitrous Oxide 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
Nitrous Oxide is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2779. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 184.1545.
European Union and United Kingdom
No EU FL number is on file for Nitrous Oxide. 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)
Nitrous Oxide has not been evaluated by JECFA as a flavouring agent, or no evaluation is on file.
Other US flags
Listed under California Proposition 65 for developmental toxicity and female reproductive toxicity since August 1, 2008; a warning may be required in California depending on exposure.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Nitrous Oxide appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 10024-97-2, where EPA names it Nitrogen oxide (N2O).
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: Weak, pleasant odor.
Taste: Slightly sweetish.
Where it is used
Typical applications for Nitrous Oxide are not on file yet.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Nitrous Oxide by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sulfur Dioxide | 3039 | 71% | In nature |
| Formic acid | 2487 | 41% | In nature |
| Trimethylamine oxide | 4245 | 41% | In nature |
| Ammonia | 4494 | 37% | In nature |
| Acetaldehyde | 2003 | 35% | In nature |
Nitrous Oxide FAQ
Does Nitrous Oxide have FEMA GRAS status?
Nitrous Oxide holds FEMA GRAS status under FEMA number 2779. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 184.1545.
How do I cite Nitrous Oxide by FEMA or CAS number?
Cite Nitrous Oxide as FEMA 2779 or CAS 10024-97-2; both point to the same entry.
What does Nitrous Oxide smell and taste like, and where is it used?
The odor of Nitrous Oxide is weak, pleasant odor. On the palate it is slightly sweetish.
Can Nitrous Oxide be labeled a natural flavor?
Nature makes Nitrous Oxide, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial Nitrous Oxide, same molecule. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic Nitrous Oxide identical-to-natural.
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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 NITROUS OXIDE under CAS 10024-97-2 and carries its FEMA number and its 21 CFR citations. The inventory is searchable at FDA. FDA records its technical effect as flavor enhancer, propellant.
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.