Cottonseed | whatsinit

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Cottonseed is the seed of the cotton plant (Gossypium spp.), used in food primarily as a refined vegetable oil, flour, or meal; cottonseed oil has been in use since the 19th century and is considered a high-quality cooking oil. Raw and unprocessed cottonseed is generally restricted to ruminant animal feed due to the presence of the naturally occurring toxic polyphenol gossypol, while refined cottonseed oil is widely used in human food.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Refined cottonseed oil is broadly considered safe for human consumption; acute oral toxicity studies in rats showed cottonseed oil to be nontoxic and it was not mutagenic in standard tests. However, raw cottonseed contains gossypol, a cardio- and hepatotoxic terpenoid that renders unprocessed seed unsafe for human and monogastric animal consumption; the FAO/WHO permit up to 600 ppm free gossypol in edible cottonseed products. Gossypol toxicity is of primary concern in animal feed contexts, but residual gossypol in minimally-processed cottonseed products may pose reproductive and organ risks, especially in non-ruminants.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Restricted	EU Regulation 574/2011 limits free gossypol in animal feed: 20 mg/kg in general feed materials, 5000 mg/kg in cottonseed, 1200 mg/kg in cottonseed cakes and meal. Cottonseed oil (refined) is permitted for human food. Whole cottonseed use in human food is not authorised; primary use is ruminant feed.source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) / Food Standards Scotland (FSS) (United Kingdom)	Approved	Fully refined cottonseed oil is approved for human consumption; no clinically confirmed adverse reactions to fully refined cottonseed oil reported in the UK population. Raw/unprocessed cottonseed is restricted to ruminant feed.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved	Cottonseed & soybean fatty acids approved as MISC/REG at GMP as lubricant, binder, defoaming agent in foods (21 CFR 172.860). Cottonseed flour (cooked, partially defatted) regulated under 21 CFR 172.894. Glandless (gossypol-free) raw cottonseed kernels approved in hard candy (≥250°F for ≥5 min) and soft candy under 21 CFR 172.894.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Pregnancy — Gossypol in unrefined cottonseed has been shown to disrupt oestrus cycles, impair early embryo development, and negatively affect pregnancy outcomes, particularly in monogastric species.

Infants — Infants and young children are monogastric and highly sensitive to gossypol toxicity; unrefined cottonseed products are not suitable for infant consumption and are restricted by FAO/WHO gossypol limits.

Children — Children consuming unrefined or partially processed cottonseed products may be exposed to gossypol, which is cardio- and hepatotoxic; only fully refined cottonseed oil is considered safe.

Heart Disease — Gossypol in raw cottonseed is cardiotoxic, with post-mortem findings in animals including degeneration of heart fibres and generalised oedema; individuals with pre-existing heart disease should avoid raw or minimally processed cottonseed.

Liver Disease — Gossypol is hepatotoxic and may cause further liver damage in individuals with pre-existing liver conditions; only fully refined gossypol-free cottonseed oil should be considered.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1FDA. Food Additive Status List – Cottonseed entries. cacmap.fda.gov
2EFSA. Presence of free gossypol in whole cottonseed – EFSA Journal 2017, 2017. efsa.europa.eu
3PubMed. Gossypol Toxicity from Cottonseed Products, 2014. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4PubMed. Engineering cottonseed for use in human nutrition by tissue-specific reduction of toxic gossypol, 2006. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5PubMed. Final report on the safety assessment of Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, Cottonseed (Gossypium) Oil, Cottonseed Acid, Cottonseed Glyceride, and Hydrogenated Cottonseed Glyceride, 2001. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Independently researched5 citations