E-numbers / Other additives / E912
also: Montanic acid esters · Montan wax esters · Octacosanoic acid esters
A plant-derived wax coating once used on fresh fruit. Removed from the EU and UK permitted additives list in 2014 after regulators could not complete a safety review.
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No longer permitted in the UK or EU.
Why it’s worth knowing. No longer permitted in the UK or EU. Regulators could not rule out reproductive harm or cancer risk because the required safety data was never submitted by manufacturers.
Montan acid esters are derived from montan wax, a hard wax extracted from lignite (brown coal). The esters are formed by reacting montanic acids (very long-chain wax acids, primarily C28 acids) with alcohols or glycols. The resulting material is a hard, off-white wax used as a surface coating and glazing agent.
Acts as a glazing agent and surface coating. When applied to the outer skin of fresh fruit it forms a thin, water-repellent film that slows moisture loss, gives a sheen to the skin, and can extend shelf life by reducing surface abrasion during transit. It functions the same way as permitted waxes such as carnauba (E903) or beeswax (E901).
E912 was previously authorised only for the surface treatment of fresh citrus fruit, melons, apples, pears, peaches, and similar fresh produce. It has not been permitted in the UK or EU since 2014. If a legacy label predating 2014 referred to E912, it would appear as 'glazing agent: montan acid esters' or 'glazing agent: E912' in the ingredients list, or as 'waxed' on loose-fruit signage.
When the European Food Safety Authority re-evaluated E912 in 2013, it found critical gaps in the toxicological record. No data had ever been submitted on reproductive toxicity, developmental toxicity, or in vitro chromosomal aberration. Data on the potential presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as contaminants in montan wax extracts was also never supplied. EFSA had formally requested this data in the 1990s and again via a public call in 2012. When manufacturers still did not submit it, EFSA concluded it could not evaluate the additive.
The EFSA ANS Panel concluded that montan acid esters as a food additive could not be evaluated because no data on reproductive and developmental toxicity, chromosomal aberration, material characteristics, impurities, or potential PAH content had been submitted despite requests dating to the 1990s and a 2012 public call for data.
Because EFSA could not complete a safety evaluation, the European Commission removed E912 from Annex II of Regulation 1333/2008 in September 2014. This is not the same as a positive finding of harm, but it means the additive no longer had a verified safety basis for continued use. Products lawfully on the market before the removal date were allowed to sell through until stocks were exhausted.
Commission Regulation (EU) No 957/2014 deleted E912 montan acid esters from the list of permitted food additives in Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, effective September 2014, on the basis that a safety evaluation could not be completed.
Montan wax is extracted from lignite (brown coal) using solvents. Lignite-derived materials can carry polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as process contaminants. Several PAHs are known carcinogens and are regulated in other contexts. Because no data on PAH content was ever submitted for E912, the extent of any contamination in the commercial food-grade material was never established.
The absence of data on impurities and potential PAH content was cited by the EFSA ANS Panel as one of the key reasons the safety of E912 could not be assessed.
E912 is not permitted in UK or EU food, so consumers should not encounter it on current products. Anyone buying fruit from non-UK sources or using very old stock should check for 'glazing agent: E912' or 'waxed' labelling. The permitted alternatives for fruit glazing in the UK include carnauba wax (E903), beeswax (E901), and shellac (E904).
E912 is not an active safety controversy in the usual sense. It was never found to cause a specific harm at the doses people would have received from waxed fruit. What happened instead is that the data needed to confirm it was not harmful was simply never provided by manufacturers, and regulators removed it on that basis. The PAH contamination question remains open in the published literature because no relevant data exists. Whether the absence of data represents a genuine risk or a regulatory formality is genuinely unknown.
Yes. E912 is not on the UK FSA's approved-additives list. It was removed from the EU permitted list in 2014 by Commission Regulation (EU) No 957/2014 after the European Food Safety Authority could not complete a safety evaluation. The UK has assimilated the underlying EU regulation, so the removal applies in the UK too. No UK-specific re-authorisation has been issued since Brexit.
Regulators removed it because the required safety evidence was never submitted. EFSA needed data on reproductive toxicity, chromosomal effects, and potential contamination with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from the manufacturing process. Despite requests going back to the 1990s and a public data call in 2012, no data arrived. EFSA concluded it could not evaluate whether the additive was acceptable. Removal followed.
No current UK or EU food product should contain E912. Before its removal in 2014, it was used only as a surface wax on fresh fruit such as citrus, apples, pears, and melons. Fruit sold today in the UK and EU uses permitted alternatives such as carnauba wax (E903), beeswax (E901), or shellac (E904) if waxed at all.
Montan acid esters are derived from lignite (a form of brown coal), so the source material is not animal-derived. However, E912 is no longer permitted in UK or EU food, so the question is moot for current products.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
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