Benzyl alcohol

Benzyl alcohol is a naturally occurring aromatic alcohol found in many plants and fruits, including jasmine, hyacinth, and ylang-ylang flowers, as well as in balsam resins and cranberries. Its pleasant floral, slightly sweet odour makes it a valued component in natural flavouring preparations. As a food additive it functions primarily as a solvent and carrier for food flavourings and colours, dissolving lipophilic flavour compounds for incorporation into aqueous food systems. It also has mild preservative properties.

JECFA evaluated benzyl alcohol in 1976 and established an ADI of 5 mg/kg body weight per day. Benzyl alcohol is metabolised in the body by oxidation to benzaldehyde and then to benzoic acid, which is conjugated with glycine to form hippuric acid and excreted in urine. This metabolic pathway is well characterised and involves no accumulation or unexpected metabolites at normal dietary intake levels. Its natural occurrence in many edible plants and its presence as a natural flavour component in many foods support the established ADI.

Benzyl alcohol is approved in the EU as E1519 for use as a carrier/solvent for food additives and flavourings in specific applications, typically at trace concentrations. It is most commonly encountered as an indirect presence in food, having been used as a solvent for flavour or colour preparations rather than as a direct flavour ingredient. In pharmaceutical applications, benzyl alcohol is widely used as a bacteriostatic preservative in injectable medications, which underlines its safety at concentrations well above those found in food. Consumers are primarily exposed to benzyl alcohol through its natural occurrence in various foods and aromatics, with any additive contribution being very small.