E929 - acetone peroxide

At a glance

E929 is the code once associated with acetone peroxide, a shock‑ and heat‑sensitive explosive. It is not permitted for use in foods in the EU or the US.¹² You will not see it in supermarket products.

Why is acetone peroxide added to food?

It isn’t. Although E929 is an assigned number, acetone peroxide has no approved food use today. It is absent from the EU’s Union list of authorized food additives and does not appear among permitted flour treatment or bleaching agents in U.S. regulations.¹²

What foods contain acetone peroxide?

None. There are no authorized uses in the EU or the U.S., so E929 should not appear on food labels or in branded products.¹²

What can replace acetone peroxide?

Food makers use safer, approved dough conditioners and bleaching/treatment agents, such as:

• benzoyl peroxide for flour bleaching (where permitted)²
• L‑cysteine as a reducing agent in doughs
• ascorbic acid as an oxidizing dough improver
• In some contexts, other authorized processing aids may be used instead of peroxides, depending on local rules. Always consult current regulations.

How is acetone peroxide made?

For safety, only a high‑level description is appropriate. “Acetone peroxide” refers to a family of peroxides formed by reacting acetone with hydrogen peroxide under acidic conditions; the most notorious member is TATP, short for triacetone triperoxide.³ These compounds are extremely sensitive to heat, friction, and impact and can detonate without warning. They are not suitable for food use.³⁴

Is acetone peroxide safe to eat?

No. It is not approved as a food additive in the EU (it is not on the Union list) and is not among permitted agents for flour or other foods in U.S. regulations.¹² Beyond the lack of authorization, acetone peroxide is a dangerously unstable explosive and should not be handled outside specialized, controlled settings.³⁴

Does acetone peroxide have any benefits?

In food, none. While “peroxide” compounds can act as oxidizers, the extreme instability and explosive nature of acetone peroxide mean any theoretical benefit is far outweighed by risk, which is why it is not used.³⁴

Who should avoid acetone peroxide?

Everyone. Consumers will not encounter it in foods due to regulatory prohibitions.¹² Outside of food, chemical‑safety and security agencies warn that acetone peroxide is a high‑risk explosive that should never be made or handled by the public.⁴

Myths & facts

• Myth: “If it has an E‑number, it’s allowed in the EU.”
  Fact: Some historical or legacy E‑numbers are not on the current EU Union list. E929 (acetone peroxide) is not authorized for use in foods.¹
• Myth: “E929 is the same as the flour bleach used by millers.”
  Fact: Millers may use approved agents like benzoyl peroxide; acetone peroxide is not permitted in U.S. flour rules.²
• Myth: “You might find E929 on labels in specialty products.”
  Fact: In both the EU and the U.S., you should not see acetone peroxide on ingredient lists because it has no authorized food use.¹²

acetone peroxide in branded foods

You should not find E929 on branded food labels. If you see “peroxide” in the context of flour treatment, it will be an authorized agent such as benzoyl peroxide, not acetone peroxide.²

References

Footnotes

1. Commission Regulation (EU) No 1129/2011 amending Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 to establish a Union list of food additives — EUR-Lex. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2011/1129/oj ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

2. 21 CFR § 137.105 — Bleached flour (permitted bleaching agents listed) — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-137/subpart-B/section-137.105 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

3. Triacetone triperoxide (TATP) — PubChem, National Institutes of Health. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Triacetone-triperoxide ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

4. Homemade Explosives (HME) and Precursor Chemicals (includes TATP) — Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/resources/homemade-explosives-hme-and-precursor-chemicals ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴