What is Butylated hydroxytoluene (E321)?

What does it do?

Delays rancidity and discolouration, and regulates the product’s acidity (pH).

Is it harmful? Risk context

There is limited evidence, or caution is warranted under specific conditions. Its presence alone does not mean "danger"; at ordinary amounts no problem is reported for most people. NeBu treats it as a moderate signal and presents it with the context below.

Unlike BHA, IARC Group 3 (carcinogenicity inadequate evidence)

Containing an additive is not the same as being harmed by the product. A hazard is a substance’s theoretical potential to cause harm; risk depends on the actual amount you are exposed to. Rather than stamping additives with fear-based labels, NeBu explains them with sourced information — and leaves the decision to you.

IARC cancer classification

Group 3 — not classifiable

An IARC classification measures the **strength of evidence** that something is linked to cancer (a hazard) — not the actual risk (the dose needed). Processed meat and sunlight are also "Group 1". The class answers "how strong is the evidence", not "how dangerous".

Sources

• EFSA — Food additives
• IARC — Monographs on the Identification of Carcinogenic Hazards
• Türk Gıda Kodeksi — Gıda Katkı Maddeleri Yönetmeliği (RG 13.10.2023)