Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) is a complex mixture of plant-derived triglycerides that have been modified by atoms of the element bromine bonded to the fat molecules. Brominated vegetable oil is used to help emulsify citrus-flavored soft drinks, preventing them from separating during distribution. Brominated vegetable oil has been used by the soft drink industry since 1931, generally at a level of about 8 ppm.^[1][2]

Careful control of the type of oil used allows bromination of it to produce BVO with a specific density of 1.33 g/mL, which is one-third greater than water (1 g/mL). As a result, it can be mixed with less-dense flavoring agents such as citrus oil to produce an oil which matches the density of water or other products. The droplets containing BVO remain suspended in the water rather than separating and floating to the surface.^[2]

Alternative food additives used for the same purpose include sucrose acetate isobutyrate (SAIB, E444) and glycerol ester of wood rosin (ester gum, E445).

Brominated vegetable oil has the CAS number 8016-94-2 and the EC number 232-416-5.^[3]

Regulation and use

United States

In the United States, BVO was designated in 1958 as generally recognized as safe (GRAS),^[2] but this was withdrawn by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1970.^[4] The U.S. Code of Federal Regulations currently imposes restrictions on the use of BVO as a food additive in the United States, limiting the concentration to 15 ppm,^[5] limiting the amount of free fatty acids to 2.5 percent, and limiting the iodine value to 16.^[6]

An online petition at Change.org asking PepsiCo to stop adding BVO to Gatorade and other products collected over 200,000 signatures by January 2013.^[7] The petition pointed out that since Gatorade is sold in countries where BVO is not approved, there was already an existing formulation without this ingredient. PepsiCo announced in January 2013 that it would no longer use BVO in Gatorade.^[8][9] As of 2023, the companies behind many large beverage brands, including Coca-Cola and Pepsi, have stopped using the ingredient, but it is still found in some smaller grocery store brands.^[10]

On May 5, 2014, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo said they would remove BVO from their products.^[11] As of early 2020, PepsiCo has stopped using BVO in all its products.^[12]

BVO is still used in Sun Drop, made by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group.^[13] Numerous generic citrus sodas also use it, including Stars & Stripes orange soda from Dollar Tree,^[14] Mountain Lightning and Orangette from Walmart, and Clover Valley from Dollar General. BVO is much less frequently used as an emulsifier in non-carbonated drinks, such as flavoring syrups for caffeinated beverages^[15] and specialty juices.^[16]

BVO is one of four substances that the FDA has defined as "interim" food additives;^[17][18] the other three are acrylonitrile copolymers, mannitol, and saccharin.^[19]

In May 2023, New York considered banning the use of brominated vegetable oil in foods because it acts as an endocrine disruptor, especially affecting the thyroid hormone and may also harm the reproductive system.^[10]

In October 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom approved a law that banned the manufacture, sale, and distribution of brominated vegetable oil (along with three other additives: potassium bromate, propylparaben, and Red 3). This is the first law in the U.S. to ban it, and will possibly have nationwide effects.^[20] The ban of its use in foods will go into effect in 2027.^[21][22]

In November 2023, the FDA proposed revoking its authorization of BVO for use as an additive in food products. The reason for the proposed revocation is due to health issues associated with BVO, which can include headaches and nervous system damage.^[23]

Other countries

In Canada, BVO is currently permitted as a food additive, but only in beverages containing citrus or spruce oils.^[24]

In the European Union, BVO is banned from use as a food additive; it was originally banned in the UK and several other European countries in 1970;^[25][26] and any BVO-containing products that may slip through the regulations are pulled from shelves upon discovery.^[27] In the EU, beverage companies commonly use glycerol ester of wood rosin or locust bean gum as an alternative to BVO.

In India, standards for soft drinks have prohibited the use of BVO since 1990.^[28]

In Japan, the use of BVO as a food additive has been banned since 2010.^[2]

Health effects

There are case reports of adverse effects associated with excessive consumption of BVO-containing products. One case reported that a man who consumed two to four liters of a soda containing BVO on a daily basis experienced memory loss, tremors, fatigue, loss of muscle coordination, headache, and ptosis of the right eyelid, as well as elevated serum chloride.^[29] In the two months it took to correctly diagnose the problem, the patient also lost the ability to walk. Eventually, bromism was diagnosed and hemodialysis was prescribed which resulted in a reversal of the disorder.^[30]