9 CFR 424.21(c)
Permitted ingredients
192 substances across 250 chart entries, parsed from the eCFR markup of 9 CFR 424.21(c). This is the list of what may lawfully go into a meat or poultry product in the United States, what it may be used for, and how much of it is permitted.
Reading the chart
The regulation writes repeated values as ditto marks: an empty cell, "......do" or "Do." A row rendered with those left in place says nothing. They are resolved here, so every row on this site carries its full class, purpose, product list and amount.
Curing agents and accelerators
- Ascorbic acid
- Citric acid or sodium citrate
- Erythorbic acid
- Fumaric acid
- Glucono delta lactone
- Sodium acid pyrophosphate
- Sodium ascorbate
- Sodium erythorbate
- Sodium or potassium nitrate
- Sodium or potassium nitrite
By class of substance
Acidifiers 6 / Anti-coagulants 2 / Antifoaming agent 1 / Antimicrobial Agents 4 / Antioxidants and oxygen interceptors 9 / Artificial Sweeteners 1 / Binders and Extenders 30 / Bleaching Agent 1 / Catalysts 2 / Chilling Media 1 / Coloring Agents 5 / Curing accelerators 8 / Curing Agents 2 / Denuding Agents 8 / Emulsifying Agents 13 / Film Forming Agents 1 / Flavoring Agents; Protectors and Developers 29 / Gases 4 / Hog Scald Agents 24 / Miscellaneous 35 / Poultry scald agents 24 / Proteolytic Enzymes 5 / Refining Agents 7 / Rendering agents 2 / Synergists 5 / Tenderizing agents 8
Acidifiers
Anti-coagulants
Antifoaming agent
Antimicrobial Agents
Antioxidants and oxygen interceptors
Artificial Sweeteners
Binders and Extenders
- A mixture of sodium alginate, calcium carbonate and calcium lactate/lactic acid
- A mixture of sodium alginate, calcium carbonate, lactic acid, and calcium lactate
- Agar-agar
- Algin
- Bread
- Carboxymethyl cellulose
- Carrageenan
- Carrageenan, Locust bean gum, and Xanthan gum blend
- Cereal
- Dried milk
- Dried skim milk, calcium reduced
- Enzyme
- Enzyme
- Food starch modified
- Gelatin
- Gums, vegetable
- Isolated soy protein
- Methyl cellulose
- Sodium caseinate
- Soy flour
- Soy protein concentrate
- Starchy vegetable flour
- Tapioca dextrin
- Vegetable starch
- Wheat gluten
- Whey protein concentrate
- Whey, Dry or dried
- Whey, Reduced lactose
- Whey, Reduced minerals
- Xanthan gum
Bleaching Agent
Catalysts
Chilling Media
Coloring Agents
Curing accelerators
Curing Agents
Denuding Agents
Emulsifying Agents
- 1,2-propylene glycol esters of fatty acids
- Actylated monoglycerides
- Diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono-and diglycerides
- Glycerol-lacto stearate, oleate, or palmitate
- Lecithin
- Mono and diglycerides
- Mono and diglycerides of fatty acids esterified with any of the following acids: acetic, acetyltartaric, citric, lactic, tartaric, and their sodium and calcium salts; the sodium sulfoacetate derivatives of these mono and diglycerides
- Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids
- Polysorbate 60
- Polysorbate 80
- Propylene glycol mono and diesters of fats and fatty acids
- Stearyl monoglyceridyl citrate
- Stearyl-2-lactylic acid
Film Forming Agents
Flavoring Agents; Protectors and Developers
- Artificial smoke flavoring
- Autolyzed yeast extract
- Benzoic acid
- Calcium lactate
- Citric acid
- Corn syrup solids; corn syrup; glucose syrup
- Dextrose
- Diacetyl
- Disodium inosinate
- Harmless bacteria starters of the acidophilus type, lactic acid starter or culture of Pediococcus cerevisiae
- Harmless lactic acid producing bacteria
- Hydrolyzed plant protein
- Isopropyl citrate
- Malt syrup
- Milk protein hydrolysate
- Monoammonium glutamate
- Monosodium glutamate
- Potassium lactate
- Smoke flavoring
- Sodium acetate
- Sodium diacetate
- Sodium lactate
- Sodium sulfoacetate derivative of mono and diglycerids
- Sodium tripolyphosphate
- Sodium tripolyphosphate and sodium mixtures, metaphosphate, insoluble; and sodium polyphosphates, glassy
- Sorbitol
- Starter distillate
- Stearyl citrate
- Sugars
Gases
Hog Scald Agents
- Caustic soda
- Dicotyl sodium sulfosuccinate
- Dimethylpolysiloxane
- Disodium phosphate
- Disodium-calcium ethylenediaminetetra-acetate
- Ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid
- Lime
- Propylene glycol
- Soap
- Sodium acid pyrophosphate
- Sodium carbonate
- Sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate
- Sodium gluconate
- Sodium hexametaphosphate
- Sodium lauryl sulfate
- Sodium mono and dimethylnaphthalene sulfonate
- Sodium n-alkylbenzene sulfonate
- Sodium pyrophosphate
- Sodium silicates
- Sodium sulfate
- Sodium tripolyphosphate
- Sucrose
- Triethanolamine dodecylbenzene sulfonate
- Trisodium phosphate
Miscellaneous
- Adipic acid
- Ascorbic acid, erythorbic acid, citric acid, sodium ascorbate and sodium citrate, singly or in combination
- Calcium disodium, EDTA
- Calcium propionate
- Citric acid
- Citric acid
- d- and dl-alpha-tocopherol
- Dipotassium phosphate
- Disodium phosphate
- Glycerine
- Hydrochloric acid
- L-Tartaric acid
- Lactic acid
- Monopotassium phosphate
- Monosodium phosphate
- Phosphoric acid
- Potassium bicarbonate
- Potassium carbonate
- Potassium pyrophosphate
- Potassium sorbate
- Potassium tripolyphosphate
- Propyl paraben
- Silicon dioxide
- Sodium acid pyrophosphate
- Sodium bicarbonate
- Sodium carbonate
- Sodium citrate buffered with citric acid to a pH of 5.6
- Sodium hydroxide
- Sodium metaphosphate, insoluble
- Sodium polyphosphate, glassy
- Sodium proprionate
- Sodium pryophosphate
- Sodium tripolyphosphate
- Sorbic acid
- Tricalcium phosphate
Poultry scald agents
- Alpha-hydro-omega-hydroxy-poly
- Dimethylpolysiloxane
- Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate
- Dipotassium phosphate
- Ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid
- Lime
- Polyoxyethylene
- Potassium hydroxide
- Propylene glycol
- Sodium acid phosphate
- Sodium acid pyrophosphate
- Sodium bicarbonate
- Sodium carbonate
- Sodium dodecylbenzene-sulfonate
- Sodium hexametaphosphate
- Sodium hydroxide
- Sodium lauryl sulfate
- Sodium phosphate
- Sodium pyrophosphate
- Sodium sesquicarbonate
- Sodium sulfate
- Sodium tripolyphosphate
- Sodium-2-ethylhexyl sulfate
- Tetrasodium pyrophosphate
Proteolytic Enzymes
Refining Agents
Rendering agents
Synergists
Tenderizing agents
Footnotes to the chart
- [Reserved]
- Information as to the specific products for which use of this additive is approved may be obtained upon inquiry addressed to the Labeling and Additives Policy Division, Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250.
- Provided that its use is functional and suitable for the product and it is permitted for use at the lowest level necessary to accomplish the desired technical effect as determined in specific cases prior to label approval under part 412 of this chapter.
- Special labeling requirements are prescribed in 381.120 for raw poultry chilled in a medium with more than 70 lbs. of salt to 10,000 gals. of water.
Source: Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), Title 9, 9 CFR 424.21, as in force on 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-09-04. Parsed from the eCFR XML rather than retyped. See methodology.