Food additive databasedisinfectantChecked 2026-10-02
Peracetic Acid 過酢酸
Designated additiveNot on the EU additive list
- Purpose
- disinfectant
- On the label
- “過酢酸” (peracetic acid) (not labeled when it qualifies as a processing aid)
- Name in the List of Designated Additives
- 過酢酸 (No. 98)
In Japan
- A sterilizer used to disinfect the surface of meat, fruits, and vegetables. The standards for use limit it to use as a peracetic acid preparation, and set upper limits on the concentration that the soaking or spray solution may contain for each food.
- When it qualifies as a processing aid, for example because it is removed before the food is completed, it is exempt from labeling in the ingredient list (Food Labeling Standards).
Japan's standards for use
- May not be used except as a peracetic acid preparation
- May not be used for any purpose other than surface sterilization of beef, chicken, and pork meat, fruits, and vegetables
- Chicken meat: in the soaking solution or spray solution, up to 2.0 g/kg as peracetic acid and up to 0.136 g/kg as 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid
- Beef and pork: up to 1.80 g/kg as peracetic acid and up to 0.024 g/kg as 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid
- Fruits and vegetables: up to 0.080 g/kg as peracetic acid and up to 0.0048 g/kg as 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid
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
- List of Designated Additives — Japan Food Chemical Research Foundation (Japanese)
- Standards for use and storage of each additive — Japan Food Chemical Research Foundation (Japanese)
- EU food additive database (Japanese translation) — MAFF (Japanese)
- Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives — EUR-Lex
- 食品表示基準（平成27年内閣府令第10号）第3条（加工助剤の定義、「色」「増粘」の文字を含む場合の用途名の省略）（e-Gov 法令検索） (Japanese)
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.