Is zhike fruit peel oil allowed in food flavoring (GB 2760 / FEMA GRAS)?
Short answer: the Citrus aurantium (bitter orange) peel-oil flavour family is permitted in China and the USA, but zhike's immature-fruit identity needs explicit handling on documents.
China: bitter orange oil (Citrus aurantium L.) has been on the GB 2760 natural-flavouring list since early editions; the current GB 2760-2024 list (in force 2025-02-08) must be checked entry-by-entry before food use. USA: bitter orange peel oil carries FEMA GRAS 2823 and is covered by 21 CFR §182.20, with typical FEMA usage levels around 67 ppm (beverages) to 500 ppm (chewing gum). Caveat: zhike per ChP is the dried immature fruit — same species, different maturity — so for food-flavour shipments we recommend declaring under the bitter-orange/acid-citrus peel-oil entry and having the customer's regulatory team confirm FEMA monograph coverage of the distillate; for customers whose primary market is cosmetics/fragrance no food declaration is needed.
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This article was published on 2026-09-29, and last updated on 2026-09-29. The article will be continuously updated.
