Piperine | whatsinit

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Piperine is the principal pungent alkaloid of black pepper (Piper nigrum) and long pepper (Piper longum), responsible for their characteristic spicy heat. It is used as a natural flavouring substance in foods, beverages, and food supplements, and also as a bioavailability enhancer for other nutrients and drugs.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Both JECFA (2006) and EFSA (2015) concluded no safety concern at estimated dietary intake levels as a flavouring substance, with a NOAEL of 5 mg/kg bw/day identified by EFSA based on cholesterol elevation in male rats. No formal numeric ADI has been set; rather a 'no safety concern' status applies at typical flavouring-use intakes. At high supplemental doses (bolus form), animal studies signal potential reproductive and embryotoxic effects, and piperine strongly inhibits cytochrome P450 enzymes, raising drug-interaction concerns.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) (Australia)	Approved	In 2007, the Australian Complementary Medicines Evaluation Committee (CMEC) evaluated piperine as a component in herbal preparations for use in listed medicines; approved with no specific maximum daily dose set for food use.source
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Approved as a flavouring substance under Regulation (EC) No. 1334/2008 with no maximum use level set; self-limiting due to pungency. EFSA FGE.86Rev2 (2015) concludes 'no safety concern at estimated levels of intake as flavouring substance' (MSDI ~6.2 µg/person/day). NOAEL of 5 mg/kg bw/day identified; no numeric ADI established.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved	Piperine is affirmed GRAS as a flavouring substance by the FEMA Expert Panel (FEMA GRAS). No specific maximum use level set in 21 CFR; use governed by good manufacturing practice.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Pregnancy — Animal studies at higher bolus doses of piperine have shown maternal reproductive and embryotoxic effects, so supplemental (non-dietary) forms should be used with caution during pregnancy.

Infants — Norwegian VKM (2016) risk assessment considered piperine supplementation unlikely to be adverse only for individuals aged 10 years or older; data for infants and young children are insufficient.

Children — The Norwegian Scientific Committee's margin-of-exposure assessment was limited to individuals aged 10 and above; safety data for younger children at supplemental doses are lacking.

Other — Piperine inhibits cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP3A4, CYP1A2) and P-glycoprotein, significantly increasing bioavailability and plasma levels of many drugs (e.g., phenytoin, propranolol, theophylline); patients on pharmaceutical medications should consult a doctor before using piperine supplements.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1PubMed. Safety Aspects of the Use of Isolated Piperine Ingested as a Bolus, 2021. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
2PubMed. Absence of adverse effects following administration of piperine in the diet of Sprague-Dawley rats for 90 days, 2018. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3EFSA. Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 86, Revision 2 (FGE.86Rev2): Consideration of aliphatic and arylalkyl amines and amides evaluated by JECFA (65th meeting), 2015. efsa.europa.eu
4WHO. JECFA Evaluation of Piperine as a Flavouring Agent (65th Meeting, 2005), 2006. apps.who.int
5PubMed. Assessment of genotoxic effect of piperine using Salmonella typhimurium and somatic and germ cells of Swiss albino mice, 1996. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Independently researched5 citations