Food additive databaseantioxidant, processing agentChecked 2026-10-02
Tea Extract チャ抽出物
Existing food additiveNot on the EU additive list
- Purpose
- antioxidant, processing agent
- On the label
- “酸化防止剤（チャ抽出物）” (antioxidant (tea extract)), “酸化防止剤（緑茶抽出物）” (antioxidant (green tea extract)), “酸化防止剤（紅茶抽出物）” (antioxidant (black tea extract)), “酸化防止剤（ウーロンチャ抽出物）” (antioxidant (oolong tea extract)), “チャ抽出物” (tea extract)
- Name in the List of Existing Food Additives
- チャ抽出物 (No. 184)
- Source and production
- Obtained from tea made from the leaves of the tea plant, with catechins as the main component. Depending on the tea used, there are oolong tea extract, black tea extract, and green tea extract.
In Japan
- Its purposes in the List of Existing Food Additives are antioxidant and processing agent. It can be labeled with the item name or with the alternative names “ウーロンチャ抽出物” (oolong tea extract), “紅茶抽出物” (black tea extract), or “緑茶抽出物” (green tea extract).
- When used for its antioxidant effect, the rules require writing it together with the purpose name, as in “酸化防止剤（チャ抽出物）” (antioxidant (tea extract)).
- There are no standards for use.
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.
- There is no tea extract on the EU additive list. Green tea extract is regulated under Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006 on the addition of vitamins, minerals, and certain other substances to foods; under Regulation (EU) 2022/2340, foods that would give 800 mg or more of epigallocatechin gallate per day are prohibited, and below that level a warning statement is required.
Sources
- List of Existing Food 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
- 第10版食品添加物公定書（2024年、厚生労働省・消費者庁）成分規格・保存基準各条（定義・含量） (Japanese)
- 消費者庁「食品表示基準について」別添 添加物関係（簡略名・用途名併記・一括名・栄養強化の範囲、既存添加物名簿収載品目リスト） (Japanese)
- 規則 (EU) 2022/2340（エピガロカテキンガレートを含む緑茶抽出物）（EUR-Lex） (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.