---
kind: "section"
citation: "21 C.F.R. § 178.3710"
title: "21"
number: "178.3710"
heading: "Petroleum wax."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/21/178.3710"
---

# §178.3710. Petroleum wax.


Petroleum wax may be safely used as a component of nonfood articles in contact with 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 in this section.
- (b) The petroleum wax meets the following ultraviolet absorbance limits when subjected to the analytical procedure described in [§ 172.886(b)](/cfr/21/172.886.md?p=b) of this chapter.

  Ultraviolet absorbance per centimeter pathlength:

- (c) Petroleum wax may contain any antioxidant permitted in food by regulations issued in accordance with [section 409](/cfr/21/409.md) of the act, in an amount not greater than that required to produce its intended effect.
- (d) Petroleum wax may contain a total of not more than 1 weight percent of residues of the following polymers when such residues result from use of the polymers as processing aids (filter aids) in the production of the petroleum wax: Homopolymers and/or copolymers derived from one or more of the mixed n-alkyl (C12, C14, C16, and C18) methacrylate esters where the C12 and C14 alkyl groups are derived from coconut oil and the C16 and C18 groups are derived from tallow.
- (e) Petroleum wax may contain 2-hydroxy-4-n-octoxybenzophenone as a stabilizer at a level not to exceed 0.01 weight percent of the petroleum wax.
- (f) Petroleum wax may contain poly(alkylacrylate) (CAS Reg. No. 27029-57-8), as described in [§ 172.886(c)(2)](/cfr/21/172.886.md?p=c-2) of this chapter, as a processing aid in the manufacture of petroleum wax.

## Notes

### Amendments

[42 FR 14609, Mar. 15, 1977, as amended at 51 FR 19545, May 30, 1986]

### Authority

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

### Source

Source: 42 FR 14609, Mar. 15, 1977, unless otherwise noted.

### Amendments

[42 FR 14609, Mar. 15, 1977, as amended at 51 FR 19545, May 30, 1986]