[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 21, Volume 3]
[Revised as of April 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 21CFR178.3710]

[Page 412-413]
 
                        TITLE 21--FOOD AND DRUGS
 
CHAPTER I--FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN 
                          SERVICES (CONTINUED)
 
PART 178--INDIRECT FOOD ADDITIVES: ADJUVANTS, PRODUCTION AIDS, AND SANITIZERS--Table of Contents
 
            Subpart D--Certain Adjuvants and Production Aids
 
Sec. 178.3710  Petroleum wax.

    Petroleum wax may be safely used as a component of nonfood articles 
in contact with food, in accordance with the following conditions:
    (a) Petroleum wax is a mixture of solid hydrocarbons, paraffinic in 
nature, derived from petroleum, and refined to meet the specifications 
prescribed in this section.
    (b) The petroleum wax meets the following ultraviolet absorbance 
limits when subjected to the analytical procedure described in 
Sec. 172.886(b) of this chapter.
    Ultraviolet absorbance per centimeter pathlength:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        Millimicrons                            Maximum
------------------------------------------------------------------------
280 to 289..................................................        0.15
290 to 299..................................................         .12
300 to 359..................................................         .08
360 to 400..................................................         .02
------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 413]]

    (c) Petroleum wax may contain any antioxidant permitted in food by 
regulations issued in accordance with section 409 of the act, in an 
amount not greater than that required to produce its intended effect.
    (d) Petroleum wax may contain a total of not more than 1 weight 
percent of residues of the following polymers when such residues result 
from use of the polymers as processing aids (filter aids) in the 
production of the petroleum wax: Homopolymers and/or copolymers derived 
from one or more of the mixed n-alkyl (C12, C14, 
C16, and C18) methacrylate esters where the 
C12 and C14 alkyl groups are derived from coconut 
oil and the C16 and C18 groups are derived from 
tallow.
    (e) Petroleum wax may contain 2-hydroxy-4-n-octoxybenzophenone as a 
stabilizer at a level not to exceed 0.01 weight percent of the petroleum 
wax.
    (f) Petroleum wax may contain poly(alkylacrylate) (CAS Reg. No. 
27029-57-8), as described in Sec. 172.886(c)(2) of this chapter, as a 
processing aid in the manufacture of petroleum wax.

[42 FR 14609, Mar. 15, 1977, as amended at 51 FR 19545, May 30, 1986]