INS 306 is tocopherols (mixed), the vitamin E family of compounds used as a natural antioxidant in refined oils, ghee, infant formula, and supplements. On Indian packs it shows up as 'tocopherols', 'mixed tocopherol concentrate', or 'INS 306', and is one of the most common antioxidants in refined sunflower, soybean, and rice-bran oils. It is generally vegan and is permitted by FSSAI for specified food categories.
INS 306 is tocopherols (mixed), the vitamin E family of compounds used as a natural antioxidant in refined oils, ghee, infant formula, and supplements. On Indian packs it shows up as 'tocopherols', 'mixed tocopherol concentrate', or 'INS 306', and is one of the most common antioxidants in refined sunflower, soybean, and rice-bran oils.
Brands use it because a small amount of mixed tocopherols stops fats and oils from going rancid by trapping the free radicals that cause oxidation. Unlike synthetic antioxidants such as BHA (INS 320) and BHT (INS 321), tocopherols are the same vitamin E group the body uses, so brands that want a 'no synthetic preservative' claim can use them as the natural alternative. They are also added to infant formula (where they preserve the milk fat and provide a vitamin E contribution at the same time) and to dietary supplements as a dual-purpose antioxidant and vitamin.
INS 306 commonly shows up on Indian packets in these categories:
Mixed tocopherols are produced by extracting tocopherol-rich fractions from vegetable oil distillates (a by-product of refining sunflower, soybean, maize, or rice germ oil) and concentrating the tocopherol content by molecular distillation. The chemically identical synthetic dl-alpha-tocopherol form is made by chemical synthesis. No animal product is used in either route.
FSSAI: Permitted by FSSAI as an antioxidant under Schedule I of the FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations 2011 for specified food categories. The FSSAI permitted maximum for INS 306 mixed tocopherol concentrate is 300 mg per kg of fat or oil (singly or in combination with other tocopherols), aligned with the Codex GSFA framework. Lower category-specific limits apply for infant formula. FSSAI's Indian regulation text continues to use the INS 306 designation; the Codex INS table reassigned mixed tocopherol concentrate to INS 307b in 2007, but both numbering systems refer to the same material.
JECFA: ADI 0-2 mg per kg of body weight for INS 306 mixed tocopherol concentrate, established at the 17th JECFA (1973). The 30th JECFA (1986) later established a separate group ADI of 0.15 to 2 mg per kg of body weight expressed as alpha-tocopherol equivalents for INS 307a dl-alpha-tocopherol and d-alpha-tocopherol concentrate; that 1986 record applies to the purified single-isomer alpha-tocopherol forms, not to INS 306 mixed tocopherols concentrate, so the 1973 value remains the controlling ADI on the JECFA record for INS 306. Codex's current INS table (2007 onward) reassigned mixed tocopherol concentrate to INS 307b under a unified tocopherol umbrella, but FSSAI and the EU E-number system retained the INS 306 / E306 designation, so on Indian labels the ADI cited above is the operative figure. EFSA's 2015 re-evaluation of E306, E307, E308, and E309 concluded there is no safety concern at the reported food-additive use levels and that food-additive intake of tocopherols is well below the Tolerable Upper Intake Level for vitamin E in supplements (300 mg per day of alpha-tocopherol equivalents for adults).
On packets, in recipes, and in conversation, INS 306 is also called:
Last verified: 2026-05-12.