Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Tricalcium Phosphate
Tricalcium Phosphate is a flavoring substance, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3081 (CAS 7758-87-4).
- FEMA
- 3081
- CAS
- 7758-87-4
- Formula
- Ca3O8P2
- EC
- 231-840-8
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 7758-87-4.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Phosphoric acid, calcium salt (2:3), Calcium orthophosphate, Calcium phosphate (Ca3(PO4)2), Tricalcium diphosphate, Calcium phosphate (3:2), Calcium phosphate, Tricalcium orthophosphate, Calcium tertiary phosphate, Phosphoric acid calcium(2+) salt (2:3), Tertiary calcium phosphate, Bonarka, Synthos.
Can Tricalcium Phosphate be labeled natural?
Nature makes Tricalcium Phosphate, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial Tricalcium Phosphate, same molecule. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic Tricalcium Phosphate 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
Tricalcium Phosphate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3081. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 182.1217.
European Union and United Kingdom
No EU FL number is on file for Tricalcium Phosphate. 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)
Tricalcium Phosphate 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. Tricalcium Phosphate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 7758-87-4, where EPA names it Phosphoric acid, calcium salt (2:3).
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: Tasteless.
Where it is used
Typical applications for Tricalcium Phosphate are not on file yet.
Tricalcium Phosphate FAQ
Is Tricalcium Phosphate FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists Tricalcium Phosphate as GRAS under FEMA number 3081. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 182.1217.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for Tricalcium Phosphate?
Tricalcium Phosphate is FEMA 3081, CAS 7758-87-4.
Does Tricalcium Phosphate count as natural in the US and the EU?
The process decides for Tricalcium Phosphate. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic Tricalcium Phosphate is artificial. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic Tricalcium Phosphate identical-to-natural.
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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 CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, TRIBASIC under CAS 7758-87-4 and carries its FEMA 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, formulation aid, humectant, leavening agent, nutrient supplement, ph control agent, texturizer.
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.