Rosemary extract
A natural antioxidant from rosemary leaves added to fat-containing foods to stop oils and fats going rancid.
JECFA set a temporary ADI of 0 to 0.3 mg/kg body weight per day for rosemary extract, expressed as carnosic acid plus carnosol, from a no-effect level of 64 mg/kg per day.
What is it?
E392 is a concentrated extract from the leaves of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis, also now classed as Salvia rosmarinus). The antioxidant activity comes mainly from two phenolic diterpenes, carnosic acid and carnosol, which are responsible for most of the extract's preserving effect. Extracts are produced by several methods including ethanol, acetone, supercritical CO2, and hexane extraction, yielding products that vary in colour and odour but share the same active components.
What does it do?
Carnosic acid and carnosol donate hydrogen atoms to free radicals, interrupting the chain reaction that turns unsaturated fats rancid. By scavenging reactive oxygen species at the surface of fat droplets, the extract slows oxidative spoilage, extends shelf life, and preserves flavour and colour in fat-based foods without the need for synthetic antioxidants such as BHA or BHT.
Where you will see it
Most commonly used in chilled and frozen meat products, processed meats, dry-cured meats, frying oils and shortenings, margarine and fat spreads, snack foods and crisps, baked goods with high fat content, dried herbs and spice mixes, and fish products. On UK labels it appears as 'antioxidant: rosemary extract' or 'antioxidant: E392'.
What the science says
Antioxidant mechanism and effectiveness
Carnosic acid and carnosol are the principal active compounds in rosemary extract. Both act as chain-breaking antioxidants by donating hydrogen to lipid peroxide radicals, interrupting oxidative rancidity. Laboratory and food-application studies consistently show the extract slows lipid oxidation in meat, oils, and baked products. The effect is comparable to synthetic antioxidants in many applications.
Carnosic acid and carnosol were identified as the primary antioxidant constituents of rosemary extract responsible for its food-preserving properties.
Laboratory studies demonstrate rosemary extract inhibits lipid peroxidation in fat-containing food matrices, with efficacy dependent on extract concentration and food composition.
Exposure and acceptable daily intake
In 2016, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) set a temporary acceptable daily intake of 0 to 0.3 mg per kg body weight per day, expressed as carnosic acid plus carnosol. A 2018 EFSA refined exposure assessment found that estimated dietary exposure from E392 as a food additive sits well below this temporary ADI across all age groups, including children. The temporary designation reflects a data gap request rather than a toxicological finding; JECFA asked for additional chronic study data.
JECFA established a temporary ADI of 0 to 0.3 mg carnosic acid plus carnosol per kg body weight per day for rosemary extract.
The highest 95th percentile refined exposure from authorised food-additive uses was estimated at 0.20 mg/kg body weight per day in children aged 3 to 9 years, below the temporary ADI, with the Panel noting real-world intake likely lower still.
Natural dietary exposure from herbs
People who cook regularly with fresh or dried rosemary consume carnosic acid and carnosol from the herb itself, independently of E392 in packaged food. EFSA's 2018 assessment estimated that natural dietary intake of these compounds from culinary herbs can reach up to 1.66 mg per kg body weight per day at the 95th percentile, substantially higher than the additive-use contribution. This context is relevant to any discussion of total carnosic acid and carnosol intake.
Estimated 95th percentile intake of carnosic acid and carnosol from natural dietary sources (culinary herbs) was up to 1.66 mg/kg body weight per day, exceeding the contribution from authorised E392 additive uses.
Where it stands with the regulators
Who should be careful
No specific population group needs to avoid E392 based on current evidence. People with a known allergy to rosemary or other Lamiaceae family plants (such as sage, mint, or thyme) may wish to note its presence; look for 'rosemary extract' or 'E392' on the ingredients list.
The honest read
E392 is extracted from a herb that has been part of the European diet for centuries, and its use as a packaged-food antioxidant is well established. The active compounds, carnosic acid and carnosol, are the same ones present when you cook with fresh rosemary. Regulatory assessments have not identified a toxicological basis for concern at the levels used in food. The 'temporary' status of the JECFA ADI reflects an administrative data-gap request rather than an identified hazard, and EFSA's exposure modelling places additive-route intake well below even that provisional figure. The science here is not contested or developing in a direction that raises new questions.
Related additives
Common questions
Is E392 banned in the UK?
No. E392 is authorised for use in the UK and EU under assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008. It appears on the UK FSA approved-additives list and has been permitted across England, Scotland and Wales since at least the EU exit date of 31 December 2020.
Why is the JECFA ADI described as 'temporary'?
JECFA uses 'temporary' to flag that it has requested additional long-term study data from manufacturers before issuing a final ADI. It does not indicate that a hazard was found. The current temporary figure is 0 to 0.3 mg/kg body weight per day expressed as carnosic acid plus carnosol.
What foods contain E392?
Processed meats, dry-cured meats, margarines and fat spreads, frying oils, crisps and snack foods, baked goods with high fat content, and some dried herb blends. Check the ingredients list for 'rosemary extract' or 'E392' under antioxidants.
Is E392 vegan?
Yes. Rosemary extract is derived entirely from the rosemary plant and contains no animal-derived ingredients.
Sources
- UK FSA regulated products database: E 392 Rosemary Extract
- EFSA AFC Panel scientific opinion on the use of rosemary extracts as a food additive (EFSA Journal, 2008)
- EFSA ANS Panel: extension of use of extracts of rosemary (E 392) in fat-based spreads (EFSA Journal, 2015)
- EFSA refined exposure assessment of extracts of rosemary (E 392) from its use as food additive (EFSA Journal, 2018)
- PMC: Refined exposure assessment of extracts of rosemary (E 392) from its use as food additive
- UK legislation: Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 specifications for food additives (Annex division 155 - rosemary extracts)
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