E392 – Extracts of rosemary | Safety, ADI, Side Effects & Food Uses

Quick analysis summary about E392 – Extracts of rosemary food additive

Bottom line about E392

E392 covers extracts of rosemary used mainly as natural antioxidants in fat-containing foods. The current evidence is broadly reassuring, so the final grade is GREEN – SAFE. The main caveat is that E392 is not just ordinary culinary rosemary, but a standardised extract rich in antioxidant compounds such as carnosic acid and carnosol, so composition and intake still matter.[1-4]

Why this grade for E392

This grade is based on current authorisation in the EU and UK, broad international acceptance, and newer toxicology studies that did not confirm a strong genotoxic, reproductive, or subchronic toxicity signal at food-relevant specifications.[1-5] The caution is that JECFA still keeps a temporary ADI rather than a fully settled final one, so the evidence is reassuring but not completely friction-free.[2]

Who may want to limit or avoid E392

Most people do not need to avoid E392 in ordinary foods. People using concentrated botanical supplements, multiple fortified products, or unusually high intakes of foods preserved with rosemary extract may want to keep total exposure modest. That is a more realistic concern than normal occasional intake from one product.[1-3]

Common uses and where E392 appears

E392 is used mainly in fats and oils, meat products, bakery items, snacks, soups, and some processed foods where protection against oxidation is useful. It helps slow rancidity and preserve flavour, especially in fat-rich foods.[1,5]

E392 source or origin

E392 is obtained from rosemary leaves, usually by solvent or supercritical extraction, and then standardised for antioxidant diterpenes such as carnosic acid and carnosol. That makes it a plant-derived additive, but still a concentrated technical extract rather than the same thing as fresh rosemary used in cooking.[1,3]

Intake note for E392

JECFA has retained a temporary ADI of 0–0.3 mg/kg body weight per day for rosemary extract, expressed as the sum of carnosic acid and carnosol.[2] EFSA’s refined non-brand-loyal exposure assessment found a highest 95th percentile exposure of 0.20 mg/kg body weight per day in children and concluded that those estimates very likely overestimate real exposure.[1]

Is E392 banned anywhere?

E392 remains authorised in the European Union and appears on the current UK approved additives list as extracts of rosemary.[1,5] In the United States, rosemary extract appears in FDA’s substances-added-to-food database as a GRAS flavouring agent or adjuvant under 21 CFR 182.20.[6] No clear major food-use ban was identified in the reviewed jurisdictions, and FSANZ in 2024 reported no public health and safety concern with extending additional rosemary extract food-additive uses in Australia and New Zealand.[5]

Safety grading GREEN – SAFE

E392 is graded GREEN – SAFE because the overall evidence does not show a recurring serious hazard at normal food-use levels. The best current reading is that standardised rosemary extracts are low concern when used within authorised limits, while the main remaining uncertainty is regulatory fine-tuning around developmental data and extract specifications rather than a clearly demonstrated public-health problem.[1-5]

Study basis or key toxicological reasoning for E392

EFSA’s refined exposure opinion states that rosemary extract is authorised in the EU and that real exposure is very likely overestimated by conservative modelling assumptions.[1] JECFA established a temporary ADI of 0–0.3 mg/kg body weight per day, based on a NOAEL of 64 mg/kg body weight per day for carnosic acid plus carnosol, and later retained that temporary ADI because new studies supported the absence of reproductive toxicity but not yet complete resolution of developmental uncertainty.[2] A 2021 study reported that a supercritical carbon dioxide rosemary extract was non-mutagenic in the Ames test and that 90-day rat studies with food-additive-grade extracts supported NOAEL values in the range of the highest doses tested.[3] A separate OECD 421 reproductive/developmental screening study published in 2021 found no effects on reproduction, while reduced pup thyroxine on day 13 was judged non-adverse in the absence of thyroid pathology.[4] Taken together, this supports a reassuring but not entirely assumption-free safety profile.[2-4]

Side effects of E392 – Extracts of rosemary food additive

No clear distinctive toxicity pattern at normal intake: current food-additive evidence does not show a recurring cancer, reproductive, or organ-toxicity signal from ordinary dietary exposure.[1-4]
Possible mild digestive irritation at higher exposure: very concentrated botanical extracts can be harder to tolerate than culinary rosemary, although food-additive exposure is usually much lower.[2-4]
Specification matters: different rosemary extracts are not chemically identical, so safety discussions focus heavily on standardised extracts rich in carnosic acid and carnosol rather than on rosemary in a general sense.[2,3]
High total intake deserves more care than occasional intake: the more realistic concern is repeated intake from multiple products or supplement-style use, not normal food use in one snack or meal.[1,2]

Should You Avoid E392 – Extracts of rosemary food additive?

Most people do not need to avoid E392 in normal foods. The current evidence supports a low-concern interpretation when the additive is used within authorised limits. The stronger reason for caution is with concentrated non-culinary rosemary extracts or repeated high exposure across several products, where intake can move further away from ordinary food use. For routine supermarket exposure, GREEN – SAFE is still the better fit than a warning grade.[1-5]

Common uses of E392 – Extracts of rosemary food additive

Fats and oils
Processed meat and meat-containing foods
Snacks and savoury products
Soups and broths
Bakery products and fine bakery wares
Selected processed foods needing oxidative stability

Common names and synonyms of E392 – Extracts of rosemary food additive

Extracts of rosemary
Rosemary extract
Rosemary extracts
Rosmarinus officinalis extract
Antioxidant rosemary extract
Carnosic acid-rich rosemary extract
E392
INS 392

What is E392 – Extracts of rosemary food additive?

E392 is a plant-derived antioxidant additive made from rosemary leaves. Its technical value comes mainly from diterpene antioxidants such as carnosic acid and carnosol, which can help delay oxidation in fat-rich foods. That makes it useful in products where rancidity, flavour deterioration, or fat instability would otherwise shorten shelf life.

The important detail is that E392 is not simply “rosemary” in the culinary sense. It is a concentrated and standardised extract, and its safety assessment depends on the composition of the finished extract. This is why regulators focus on specifications and on the combined exposure to carnosic acid and carnosol. Even so, the present evidence suggests that authorised food uses remain broadly low concern.[1-4]

Where is E392 – Extracts of rosemary food additive allowed (EU vs US)?

In the EU, E392 remains an authorised food additive, and EFSA’s refined exposure assessment said the additive is authorised in several food categories with maximum levels.[1] In the UK, the current approved additives list also includes E392 as extracts of rosemary.[5] In the US, rosemary extract appears in FDA’s food-substance database as a GRAS flavouring agent or adjuvant under 21 CFR 182.20.[6]

E392 – Extracts of rosemary