Benzyl cinnamate is a food additive permitted for direct addition to food for human consumption as a synthetic flavoring substance and adjuvant in accordance with the following conditions: a) they are used in the minimum quantity required to produce their intended effect, and otherwise in accordance with all the principles of good manufacturing practice, and 2) they consist of one or more of the following, used alone or in combination with flavoring substances and adjuvants generally recognized as safe in food, prior-sanctioned for such use, or regulated by an appropriate section in this part.
Benzyl cinnamate’s production and use in artificial flavors and perfumes, mainly as a fixative, may result in its release to the environment through various waste streams. If released to air, an estimated vapor pressure of 1X10-5 mm Hg at 25 °C indicates benzyl cinnamate will exist in both the vapor and particulate phases. Vapor phase benzyl cinnamate will be degraded in the atmosphere by reaction with photochemically-produced hydroxyl radicals; the half-life for this reaction in air is estimated to be 14 hours for the cis-isomer and 13 hours for the trans-isomer of benzyl cinnamate. Particulate-phase benzyl cinnamate will be removed from the atmosphere by wet and dry deposition. If released to soil, benzyl cinnamate is expected to have no mobility based upon an estimated Koc of 10,400. Volatilization from moist soil surfaces is not expected to be an important fate process based upon an estimated Henry’s Law constant of 3.3X10-7 atm-cu m/mole. Benzyl cinnamate is not expected to volatilize from dry soil surfaces based upon its vapor pressure. If released into water, benzyl cinnamate is expected to adsorb to suspended solids and sediment based upon its estimated Koc. Volatilization from water surfaces is not expected to be an important fate process based upon this compound’s estimated Henry’s Law constant. An estimated BCF of 270 suggests the potential for bioconcentration in aquatic organisms is high. A base-catalyzed second-order hydrolysis rate constant of 3.8X10-2 L/mole-sec was estimated using a structure estimation method; this corresponds to half-lives of 6 years and 211 days at pH values of 7 and 8, respectively. Occupational exposure to benzyl cinnamate may occur through inhalation and dermal contact with this compound at workplaces where benzyl cinnamate is produced or used. Consumer exposure is possible from products that use benzyl cinnamate as a flavor or perfume fixative. (SRC)
References