The FEMA GRAS Assessment of Lactones Used as Flavour Ingredients

This summary presents the key scientific data relevant to the safety evaluation of 44 lactones used as flavour ingredients. Lactones are cyclic esters which form by intramolecular cyclization of the corresponding hydroxycarboxylic acids. Most naturally occurring lactones are either five-membered ( gamma ) or six-membered ( delta ) rings formed from saturated or unsaturated hydroxylated fatty acids. The group of lactones reviewed here includes those formed from the following: (1) aliphatic acyclic linear saturated hydroxy-carboxylic acids, (2) aliphatic acyclic linear unsaturated hydroxy-carboxylic acid, (3) aliphatic acyclic branched-chain hydroxycarboxylic acids, and (4) alicyclic and aromatic hydroxycarboxylic acids.