About
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
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
| 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
Research citations
- 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
