Food additive databaseantioxidantChecked 2026-10-02

Melaleuca oil メラロイカ精油

Existing food additiveNot on the EU additive list

Purpose: antioxidant
On the label: “酸化防止剤（メラロイカ精油）” (antioxidant (melaleuca oil))
Name in the List of Existing Food Additives: メラロイカ精油 (No. 294)
Source and production: Obtained by steam distillation from the leaves of melaleuca (Melaleuca alternifolia), of the myrtle family. The components are essential oil (α-terpinene, γ-terpinene, and others).

In Japan

An essential oil obtained from melaleuca leaves by steam distillation. Its purpose in the List of Existing Food Additives is antioxidant. The components include α-terpinene and γ-terpinene. No standards for use are set.
Antioxidants must be written together with the purpose name, so it is written like “酸化防止剤（メラロイカ精油）” (antioxidant (melaleuca oil)).

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 not on the EU list of food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II), so it cannot be used as a food additive in the EU.

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 antioxidant

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