Food & Drink / Compounds / Asparagine

Asparagine in food: ingestion safety

Moderate risk

Low_to_moderate risk based on available hazard data.

What is asparagine?

The IUPAC name is (2S)-2,4-diamino-4-oxobutanoic acid.

Also known as: (2S)-2,4-diamino-4-oxobutanoic acid, L-asparagine, (S)-asparagine, Aspartamic acid.

IUPAC name
(2S)-2,4-diamino-4-oxobutanoic acid
CAS number
70-47-3
Molecular formula
C4H8N2O3
Molecular weight
132.12 g/mol
SMILES
N[C@@H](CC(N)=O)C(O)=O
PubChem CID
6267

Risk for people

Moderate risk

Low_to_moderate risk based on available hazard data.

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Asparagine.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: negative (Ames: negative, 0 positive / 1 negative reports)

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where you encounter asparagine

  • Food — Potatoes, Cereals, Coffee beans, Wheat flour

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Asparagine:

  • Ester quats (diethyl ester dimethyl ammonium chloride)
    Trade-offs: Slightly different performance feel
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is asparagine safe for you?

Low_to_moderate risk based on available hazard data.

What products contain asparagine?

Asparagine appears in: Potatoes (Food); Cereals (Food).

See Asparagine in the food app

Look up products containing asparagine, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in food View raw API data

Sources (3)
  1. PubChem Compound CID 6267 — database
  2. EPA CompTox Chemicals Dashboard — DTXSID10883220 — epa
  3. ATSDR Toxicological Profile — CAS 70-47-3 — reference

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →