---
kind: "section"
citation: "21 C.F.R. § 172.886"
title: "21"
number: "172.886"
heading: "Petroleum wax."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/21/172.886"
---

# §172.886. Petroleum wax.


Petroleum wax may be safely used in or on food, in accordance with the following conditions:

- (a) Petroleum wax is a mixture of solid hydrocarbons, paraffinic in nature, derived from petroleum, and refined to meet the specifications prescribed by this section.
- (b) Petroleum wax meets the following ultraviolet absorbance limits when subjected to the analytical procedure described in this paragraph.
- (c) Petroleum wax may contain one or more of the following adjuvants in amounts not greater than that required to produce their intended effect:
  - (1) **Antioxidants permitted in food by regulations issued in accordance with section 409 of the act.**
  - (2) **Poly(alkylacrylate) (CAS Reg.** No. 27029-57-8), made from long chain (C16-C22) alcohols and acrylic acid, or poly(alkylmethacrylate) (CAS Reg. No. 179529-36-3), made from long chain (C18-C22) methacrylate esters, having:
    - (i) A number average molecular weight between 40,000 and 100,000;
    - (ii) A weight average molecular weight (MWw) to number average molecular weight (MWn) ratio (MWw/MWn) of not less than 3; and
    - (iii) Unreacted alkylacrylate or alkylmethacrylate monomer content not in excess of 14 percent, as determined by a method entitled “Method for Determining Weight-Average and Number-Average Molecular Weight and for Determining Alkylacrylate Monomer Content of Poly(alkylacrylate) used as Processing Aid in Manufacture of Petroleum Wax,” which is incorporated by reference in accordance with 5 U.S.C. [552(a)](/usc/5/552.md?p=a) and [1](/usc/5/1.md) CFR [part 51](/cfr/21/part51.md). Copies are available from the Office of Food Additive Safety (HFS-200), Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, 5001 Campus Dr., College Park, MD 20740, 240-402-1200, or may be examined at the Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852, 240-402-7500, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday or at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call 202-741-6030, or go to: http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ibr_locations.html. Petroleum wax shall contain not more than 1,050 parts per million of poly(alkylacrylate) or poly(alkylmethacrylate) residues as determined by a method entitled “Method for Determining Residual Level of Poly(alkylacrylate) in Petroleum Wax,” which is incorporated by reference. Copies are available from the addresses cited in this paragraph.
- (d) **Petroleum wax is used or intended for use as follows—**

## Notes

### Amendments

[42 FR 14491, Mar. 15, 1977, as amended at 45 FR 48123, July 18, 1980; 47 FR 11838, Mar. 19, 1982; 50 FR 32561, Aug. 13, 1985; 51 FR 19544, May 30, 1986; 54 FR 24897, June 12, 1989; 64 FR 44122, Aug. 13, 1999; 78 FR 14665, Mar. 7, 2013; 81 FR 5592, Feb. 3, 2016; 88 FR 17722, Mar. 24, 2023]

### Authority

Authority: 21 U.S.C. 321, 341, 342, 348, 371, 379e.

### Source

Source: 42 FR 14491, Mar. 15, 1977, unless otherwise noted.

### Amendments

[42 FR 14491, Mar. 15, 1977, as amended at 45 FR 48123, July 18, 1980; 47 FR 11838, Mar. 19, 1982; 50 FR 32561, Aug. 13, 1985; 51 FR 19544, May 30, 1986; 54 FR 24897, June 12, 1989; 64 FR 44122, Aug. 13, 1999; 78 FR 14665, Mar. 7, 2013; 81 FR 5592, Feb. 3, 2016; 88 FR 17722, Mar. 24, 2023]