Is Pentaerythritol Tetrakis(3-(3 5-Di-Tert-Butyl-4-Hydroxyphenyl)propionate) safe in food and drink?
Materials & packaging1 use researched1 sourced claims
Where it turns up: plastic antioxidant, food packaging stabilizer. Detox My Life researched pentaerythritol tetrakis(3-(3 5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionate) under one use, because the same substance means something different in each use. Every claim below carries its evidence tier, how sure the research is that it applies here, and the sources it cites. The level is computed by the app's own deterministic engine, so the page says exactly what the app would.
Level by use and lens
| Use | Mainstream | Cautious (default) | Based | Concerns · favour · fringe |
|---|
| Eaten or drunk | Watch | Watch | Watch | 1 · 0 |
Mainstream shows consensus claims only; Cautious adds emerging research; Based adds fringe claims, labelled as such. The last column counts, under Cautious, the sourced concerns, the findings in its favour and the fringe claims Based would add.
Safer swaps: the app's swap catalog covers the products this turns up in: Plastic food containers. Alternatives are always types, never brands.
Eaten or drunk Watch
Under the default Cautious lens pentaerythritol tetrakis(3-(3 5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionate) in food and drink rates Watch: worth watching; the app would list a cleaner alternative type. Mainstream (consensus only) rates it Watch; Based (adds the fringe) rates it Watch. Researched 2026-09-03.
Sourced concerns (1)
ConsensusMetabolicconfidence 100%
Ingestion of high doses has been linked to decreased body weight gain, food consumption, and thyroid weight in rats.
- Why here
- This ingredient is used as an antioxidant in food packaging, leading to potential, albeit low-level, dietary exposure through migration into food.
- What would have to be true
- Repeated oral exposure above 135 mg/kg body weight/day, based on animal studies. The U.S. EPA's reference dose (RfD) for repeated oral exposure is 1.35 mg/kg/day.
- The other side
- The U.S. EPA has established a reference dose (RfD) of 1.35 mg/kg/day for repeated oral exposure, and the substance is exempt from tolerance requirements for certain uses in pesticide formulations on food, indicating that typical exposure levels are not expected to pose a risk. The FDA also lists it as an indirect food additive for specific uses in food contact materials.
Sources the engine cites:
Not researched here
The engine has no dossier for pentaerythritol tetrakis(3-(3 5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionate) when cooked with heat, in cold food, as a finishing ingredient, in heated food packaging or other uses. The app researches an ingredient for the use it infers from your product, so a scan fills these in; this page only shows what has already been researched and source-verified.
This is research, not medical advice. Detox My Life shows sourced claims sorted by evidence tier. It does not diagnose, treat, or tell you to start or stop anything. Talk to a qualified professional about your health.
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