Flavouring group evaluation 418 (FGE. 418): 3‐[3‐(2‐isopropyl‐5‐methyl‐cyclohexyl)‐ureido]‐butyric acid ethyl ester

The EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF) was requested to evaluate the safety of 3-[3-(2-isopropyl-5-methyl-cyclohexyl)-ureido]-butyric acid ethyl ester [FL-no: 16.136] as a new flavouring substance, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1331/2008. The substance has not been reported to occur naturally and it is chemically synthesised. The information provided on the manufacturing process, the composition and the stability of [FL-no: 16.136] was considered sufficient. The chronic dietary exposure to [FL-no: 16.136] estimated using the added portions exposure technique (APET) is calculated to be 860 μg/person per day for a 60-kg adult and 540 μg/person per day for a 15-kg 3-year-old child. [FL-no: 16.136] did not show genotoxic effects in bacterial mutagenicity and mammalian cell micronucleus assays in vitro. No ADME studies on [FL-no: 16.136] were provided. In a prenatal developmental toxicity study, no maternal or fetal toxicity was observed in rats dosed up to 1000 mg/kg body weight (bw) per day. In a 90-day toxicity study in rats, no adverse effects were observed. In this study, the Panel considered that the NOAEL is 777 and 923 mg/kg bw per day (the highest dose tested) for male and female rats, respectively. Considering the lowest NOAEL of 777 mg/kg bw per day, as a reference point, adequate margins of exposure of 55 × 103 and 21 × 103 were calculated for adults and children, respectively, when considering the chronic APET dietary exposure estimates. The Panel concluded that the use of 3-[3-(2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexyl)-ureido]-butyric acid ethyl ester [FL-no: 16.136] as a flavouring substance under the proposed conditions of use does not raise a safety concern at the dietary exposure estimates calculated using the APET approach.