# TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone) — Food additive regulatory approval status — US FDA vs EU

For TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone), jurisdiction is US FDA (21 CFR 172–178); status is permitted; citation is 21 CFR 172.185; use conditions is antioxidant alone or in combination with BHA and/or BHT; total antioxidant content will not exceed 0.02 percent of the oil or fat content of the food; cas no. is 1948-33-0, recorded from its source on 2026-08-15.

- **Additive:** TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone)
- **Jurisdiction:** US FDA (21 CFR 172–178) _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Status:** permitted _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Citation:** 21 CFR 172.185 _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Use conditions:** antioxidant alone or in combination with BHA and/or BHT; total antioxidant content will not exceed 0.02 percent of the oil or fat content of the food
- **CAS No.:** 1948-33-0 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> The food additive TBHQ, which is the chemical 2-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-1,4-benzenediol (Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number 1948-33-0), also known as tertiary butylhydroquinone, may be safely used in food in accordance with the following prescribed conditions

## Source

- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-172/subpart-B

Last verified: 2026-08-15. Review by: 2027-08-15.
Part of [Food additive regulatory approval status — US FDA vs EU](https://referencesource.org/food-additive-approval-status-us-vs-eu/).