Food additive databaseprocessing agentChecked 2026-10-02

Wood chip 木材チップ

Existing food additiveNot on the EU additive list

Purpose: processing agent
On the label: “木材チップ” (wood chip), “シュペーネ” (Späne) (not labeled when it counts as a processing aid)
Name in the List of Existing Food Additives: 木材チップ (No. 297)
Source and production: Obtained by sterilizing the trunks and branches of hazel (family Betulaceae) or beech (family Fagaceae) with hot water and then grinding them.

In Japan

A processing agent (“製造用剤”) made by sterilizing the trunks and branches of hazel or beech with hot water and then grinding them. The alternate name is “シュペーネ” (Späne). There are no standards for use.
Processing agents have no group name, so it is written with its substance name when labeled. If it counts as a processing aid, for example because it is removed during manufacturing, labeling is omitted.

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 processing agent

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