preservative

TBHQ (tert-butylhydroquinone)

Score

draft — not yet signed off by a reviewer

Synthetic antioxidant capped at a strict legal maximum, common in fried snacks and instant noodles.

TBHQ is permitted only at very low levels (0.02% of the fat content in the US) because higher doses cause harm in animal studies. That regulatory tightness is the point: it is a chemical with a narrow safety margin doing a job that packaging and turnover could do instead.

synthetic antioxidantintake limited

Also appears on labels as

tertiary butylhydroquinone · e319

What this is based on

GrubFacts research
GrubFacts ingredient scoring methodology
GrubFacts · 2026