Formal Recommendation by the 

National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) 

to the National Organic Program (NOP)

Date: May 25, 2012

Subject: Glucono Delta Lactone: Listing at § 205.605(a) for Sunset 2013 

Chair: Barry Flamm

 

 

The NOSB hereby recommends to the NOP the following: 

Rulemaking Action X

Statement of the Recommendation (Including Recount of Vote): 

Recommendation to re-list the materials to 205.605(a) as follows: 

Glucono delta-lactone—production by the oxidation of D-glucose with 

bromine water is prohibited.

Rationale Supporting Recommendation (including consistency with 

OFPA and NOP): 

Review of the original recommendation, the 2002 TAP review, historical 

documents, the 2007 sunset recommendation, and public comments does not 

reveal unacceptable risks to the environment, human, or animal health as a result 

of the use or manufacture of this material. There is no new information 

contradicting the original recommendation which was the basis for the previous 

NOSB decisions to list and again re-list this material. 

Committee Vote:

Moved: Joe Dickson Second: Harold Austin

Yes: 14 No: 1 Abstain: 0 Absent: 0 Recusal: 0
National Organic Standards Board

Handling Committee

2013 Sunset Proposal

Glucono Delta-Lactone on § 205.605(a)

March 20, 2012

Current National List Citation

List: 205.605 Nonagricultural (nonorganic) substances allowed as ingredients in or on 

processed products labeled as “organic” or “made with organic (specified ingredients 

or food group(s)).” 

(a) Nonsynthetics allowed 

Glucono delta-lactone—production by the oxidation of D-glucose with bromine water 

is prohibited.

Committee Summary

Glucono delta-lactone (GDL) is used as a coagulant in tofu production, and also as an 

acidulant, leavening agent and sequestrant in food. It is produced by the oxidization of gluconic 

acid by a number of methods. The petition focused on the use of the substance as a tofu 

coagulant, and delineated a number of key advantages which make the use of this substance 

necessary relative to other coagulants. Because of the slow speed at which hydrolyzes back to 

gluconic acid, it results in tofu products with preferable texture and consistency. It also imparts 

a far less sour taste than other available coagulants. 

The substance was reviewed by a Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) in 2002 at the request of 

the NOSB. The TAP found that the substance can be either synthetic or non-synthetic 

depending on the production method, and the current annotation prohibits its production using 

bromine water, which would render it synthetic. The other methods of GDL production –

oxidation of gluconic acid with microorganisms, or oxidation with enzymes derived from those 

microorganisms – result in a non-synthetic form of GDL. 

Review of the original recommendation, the 2002 TAP review, historical documents, the 2007 

sunset recommendation, and public comments does not reveal unacceptable risks to the 

environment, human, or animal health as a result of the use or manufacture of this material. 

There is no new information contradicting the original recommendation which was the basis for 

the previous NOSB decisions to list and again re-list this material. 

Committee Recommendation

The handling committee recommends the renewal of the following substance in this use 

category as published in the final rule:

Glucono delta-lactone—production by the oxidation of D-glucose with bromine water is 

prohibited.
Handling Committee Sunset Recommendation

Glucono delta-lactone

March 3, 2011

Page 2 of 2

Committee Vote

Motion: John Foster Second: Tracy Favre

Yes: 5 No: 0 Abstain: 0 Recuse: 0 Absent: 1