Proprietary Fruits and Vegetables Antioxidant Blend

About

What it is and where it shows up.

A proprietary mixture of extracts or concentrates derived from multiple fruits and/or vegetables, standardised for antioxidant activity (e.g., polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamin C, tocopherols). Used in foods and nutraceuticals to retard oxidative spoilage, extend shelf life, and/or deliver phytonutrient benefits.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Fruit and vegetable-derived antioxidant blends are generally recognised as safe (GRAS) when composed of well-characterised plant sources with a long history of consumption; no ADI has been formally established by EFSA or FDA for the blend category as a whole. Individual bioactive constituents (e.g., beta-carotene at high supplemental doses) may carry specific cautions, but at typical food-use levels the broad scientific consensus supports safety for the general population. Because the formulation is proprietary, exact constituent identity and dose cannot be independently verified, introducing a degree of residual uncertainty for regulatory compliance purposes.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Fruit and vegetable-derived antioxidant preparations do not carry a single unified E-number as a class. Where individual components (e.g., tocopherols E306-E309, ascorbic acid E300) are authorised under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, they must be declared by E-number or name. Proprietary blends must disclose function and identity on label. EFSA's ongoing re-evaluation programme covers individual food-additive antioxidants.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	Under FSS (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals) Regulations, fruits and vegetables listed in Indian Food Composition Tables (NIN/ICMR) may be used as such or as processed extracts in supplements and nutraceuticals. Specific health benefit claims require prior FSSAI approval. Blends used as food additives fall under FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, category 99.1.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved	Fruit and vegetable extracts used as antioxidants may qualify as GRAS under 21 CFR 182 (natural substances) or through the GRAS notification pathway. No upper use limit is specified beyond current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP). See also FDA GRN-690 (NutriFusion fruit/vegetable vitamin extract, GRAS). Proprietary blends must still declare each ingredient by its common or usual name under 21 CFR 101.4; use as a chemical preservative triggers additional labelling requirements under 21 CFR 101.22(j).source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Infants — Under FSSAI regulations, products containing such extracts intended for children below age 5 years shall be given only under medical advice by a physician or certified dietician/nutritionist.

Pregnancy — Some high-dose antioxidant supplements (e.g., beta-carotene, vitamin E) derived from concentrated fruit/vegetable blends have been associated with adverse outcomes in pregnancy at supplemental levels; proprietary formulations with undisclosed constituent concentrations warrant caution.

Other — Individuals with known allergies to specific fruits or vegetables (e.g., celery, apple) should review the constituent sources of any proprietary blend, as the undisclosed nature of the formulation may mask common allergens; labelling requirements under FDA 21 CFR 101.4 and EU Regulation 1169/2011 mandate ingredient disclosure.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1FDA. GRAS Notice GRN-690: Fruit and Vegetable Vitamin Extract (NutriFusion Blend). fda.gov
2FDA. Agency Response Letter GRAS Notice No. GRN-000781: Alpha-Tocopherol Acetate from Edible Fruits and Vegetables (NutriFusion). fda.gov
3EFSA. Food Additives — EFSA Topic Overview (Antioxidants), 2026. efsa.europa.eu
4PubMed. Chemical Evaluation and Nutritional Benefits of Dietary Additives Formulated From Fruit Peel Blends, 2025. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5PubMed. The Role of Genetic Variation in Modulating the Effects of Blended Fruits and Vegetables Versus Fruit- and Vegetable-Coated Food Products on Antioxidant Capacity, DNA Protection, and Vascular Health: A Randomized Controlled Trial, 2025. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
6FSSAI. Food Safety and Standards (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals) Regulations — Compendium Version 2021, 2021.

Independently researched6 citations