Food additive databaseprocessing agentChecked 2026-10-02

Butane ブタン

Existing food additivePermitted in the EU (E943a)

Purpose: processing agent
On the label: “ブタン” (butane; not labeled when it counts as a processing aid)
Name in the List of Existing Food Additives: ブタン (No. 239)
Source and production: The fraction of petroleum or natural gas components near the boiling point of n-butane.

In Japan

A fraction near the boiling point of n-butane obtained from petroleum or natural gas. Its purpose in the list of existing food additives is manufacturing agent. There are no standards for use.
When it counts as a processing aid (removed before the food is completed, or left in the final food in only trace amounts with no effect), labeling is exempt (Food Labeling Standards).

Japan's standards for use

There are no standards for use that limit which foods or how much (the general standards for all additives still apply).

This is a summary of the standards for use. See the source list for the exact conditions.

In the EU

It is on the EU list of food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II) as E943a.
In the EU, it can be used as a propellant in cooking sprays of vegetable oil (for professional use) and in sprays of water-based emulsions. In 2017, its use as a propellant in sprays of coloring preparations was also added (Regulation (EU) 2017/874).

Sources

Checked 2026-10-02. Rules and evaluations change over time. This page is a translation of our Japanese page; if they differ, the Japanese page is the reference.

This page lists facts stated in laws and in evaluations by public bodies; it is not a safety verdict. Additives used in Japan are approved by the government, which sets the foods and amounts they can be used in. The ADI is a guide to the amount that is considered safe to take every day over a lifetime.

Other substances used as processing agent

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