Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Succinic acid
Succinic acid is an acid in the acidic family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4719 (CAS 110-15-6). Its odor is sour, tangy, sharp, vinegar-like.
- FEMA
- 4719
- CAS
- 110-15-6
- JECFA
- 2307
- EU FL
- 08.024
- Formula
- C4H6O4
- EC
- 203-740-4
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 25. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 110-15-6.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Butanedioic acid, Amber acid, Asuccin, 1,2-Ethanedicarboxylic acid, Wormwood acid, Dihydrofumaric acid, Katasuccin, 1,4-Butanedioic acid, A 12084, NSC 106449, NSC 25949, Yantar-antitox.
Can Succinic acid be labeled natural?
The process decides for succinic acid. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic succinic acid is artificial. The EU and UK grant the natural claim only to that natural route; Mercosur and Mexico call synthetic material identical-to-natural.
- 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
Succinic acid is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4719. 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 08.024, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (CoE). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 2307, evaluated at the 29th meeting in 1985. No ADI established.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Succinic acid appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 110-15-6, where EPA names it Butanedioic acid.
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, vinegar-like.
Where it is used
Succinic acid is used in beverage, sour candies, pickling and seasoning, typically as a acidic note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Succinic acid by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fumaric acid | 2488 | 95% | In nature |
| Levulinic acid | 2627 | 93% | In nature |
| L-Malic Acid | 2655 | 91% | In nature |
| L-Aspartic acid | 3656 | 83% | In nature |
| 3-Hydroxybenzoic acid | 4431 | 75% | In nature |
More acids in this index
Benzoic acid · Tartaric acid (+)-, (-)-, (+/-)-, meso- · Fumaric acid · Aconitic acid · L-Malic Acid · Lactic acid
Succinic acid FAQ
Is succinic acid FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists succinic acid as GRAS under FEMA number 4719. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 172.515.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for succinic acid?
Succinic acid is FEMA 4719, CAS 110-15-6. Its flavor category is acidic.
How is succinic acid described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe succinic acid as sour, tangy, sharp, vinegar-like. It is used in beverage, sour candies, pickling and seasoning.
What did JECFA conclude about succinic acid?
JECFA evaluated succinic acid at the 29th meeting in 1985 under JECFA number 2307. The panel concluded: No ADI established.
Is succinic acid on the EU Union List?
Yes. FL 08.024 is the Union List entry for succinic acid, annex I Part A, under Regulation 1334/2008, and the UK keeps the same list.
Does succinic acid count as natural in the US and the EU?
Nature makes succinic acid, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial succinic acid, 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.
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Guides: What Is FEMA GRAS? · Natural vs artificial · Filing a GRAS notification
Check Succinic acid in a formula
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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 SUCCINIC ACID under CAS 110-15-6 and carries its FEMA number and its 21 CFR citations. The inventory is searchable at FDA. FDA records its technical effect as flavor enhancer, 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.