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Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) is a complex mixture of plant-derived triglycerides that have been modified by atoms of the element bromine bonded to the fat molecules. Brominated vegetable oil is used to help emulsify citrus-flavored beverages, especially soft drinks, preventing them from separating during distribution. Brominated vegetable oil has been used by the soft drink industry since 1931, generally at a level of about 8 ppm.[1][2] Several countries have banned use of BVO in food and drink products because of the potential for adverse health effects in humans.
Careful control of the type of oil used allows bromination of it to produce BVO with a specific density of 1.33 g/mL, which is 33% greater than water (1 g/mL). As a result, it can be mixed with less-dense flavoring agents such as citrus oil to produce an oil which matches the density of water or other products. The droplets containing BVO remain suspended in the water rather than separating and floating to the surface.[2]
Alternative food additives used for the same purpose include sucrose acetate isobutyrate (SAIB, E444) and glycerol ester of wood rosin (ester gum, E445).
Similar iodinated oils have been used as contrast agents and for goiter prophylaxis in populations with low dietary iodine intake.
Brominated vegetable oil has the CAS number 8016-94-2 and the EC number 232-416-5.[3]
United States
In the United States, BVO was designated in 1958 as generally recognized as safe (GRAS),[2] but this was withdrawn by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1970.[4]
In July 2024, the FDA revoked regulations allowing the use of BVO in food.[5] The agency concluded that the intended use of BVO in food is no longer considered safe after the results of studies conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found the potential for adverse health effects in humans.[5] The final rule banning BVO took effect August 2, 2024, and beverage companies have one year to reformulate their products to comply with the final rule.[6]
Earlier, in October 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom approved a law that would ban the manufacture, sale, and distribution of brominated vegetable oil, along with three other additives (potassium bromate, propylparaben, and Red 3), becoming the first state to ban food additives that were otherwise approved by the FDA.[7][8]
Other countries
In Canada, BVO is currently banned. In a move to safeguard public heath, Health Canada says it has officially banned the use of brominated vegetable oil (BVO) as a food additive. The decision follows growing concerns of health risks associated with the additive, which was previously permitted in limited quantities.[9] In May 2024, Health Canada proposed removing BVO from Canada's list of permitted food additives.[10][11]
In the European Union, BVO is banned from use as a food additive; it was originally banned in the UK and several other European countries in 1970;[12][13] and any BVO-containing products that may slip through the regulations are pulled from shelves upon discovery.[14] In the EU, beverage companies commonly use glycerol ester of wood rosin or locust bean gum as an alternative to BVO.
In India, standards for soft drinks have prohibited the use of BVO since 1990.[15]
There are case reports of adverse effects associated with excessive consumption of BVO-containing products. One case reported that a man who consumed two to four liters of a soda containing BVO on a daily basis experienced memory loss, tremors, fatigue, loss of muscle coordination, headache, and ptosis of the right eyelid, as well as elevated serum chloride.[16] In the two months it took to correctly diagnose the problem, the patient also lost the ability to walk. Eventually, bromism was diagnosed and hemodialysis was prescribed which resulted in a reversal of the disorder.[17]
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