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E307AntioxidantLow concern

Alpha-Tocopherol (synthetic)

In plain words

The short version

Synthetic vitamin E (dl- or all-rac-alpha-tocopherol, a mixture of stereoisomers) — used in oils, infant formula, and supplements.

Why it's green

It's widely considered safe at the amounts used in food, so we mark it green. The Safety section below has the details.

Safety

Safety profile

JECFA (1986) set a group ADI of 0.15–2 mg/kg body weight for dl-alpha-tocopherol and d-alpha-tocopherol concentrate. EFSA (2015) found the data too limited to set an ADI but concluded that tocopherols are not of safety concern at the levels used in food. The synthetic dl-form has lower biological activity (~74% of natural d-α-tocopherol per the IU conversion factor), so larger doses are typically required for equivalent vitamin-E effect. Antioxidant performance is similar.

The detail

Sources

  1. WHO JECFA database — dl-alpha-Tocopherol (INS 307c) — Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), 1986. Safety: JECFA group ADI 0.15–2 mg/kg bw
  2. EFSA — Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of tocopherol-rich extract (E 306), α-tocopherol (E 307), γ-tocopherol (E 308) and δ-tocopherol (E 309) as food additives (EFSA Journal 2015;13(9):4247) — European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), ANS Panel, 2015. Safety: EFSA set no ADI; not of safety concern at levels used
  3. 21 CFR 184.1890 — α-Tocopherols (GRAS), eCFR — U.S. FDA / eCFR (Office of the Federal Register), 1984. Identity: synthetic dl-α-tocopherol is a mixture of stereoisomers
  4. Commission Regulation (EU) No 1129/2011 — Union list of food additives, Annex II Part C Group I — European Commission / Official Journal of the EU (L 295, 12.11.2011), 2011. Regulation: EU Group I additive at quantum satis

Checked against these sources on .

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