# 178.3710 Petroleum wax.
Petroleum wax may be safely used as a component of nonfood articles in contact with food, in accordance with the following conditions:
(a) Petroleum wax is a mixture of solid hydrocarbons, paraffinic in nature, derived from petroleum, and refined to meet the specifications prescribed in this section.
(b) The petroleum wax meets the following ultraviolet absorbance limits when subjected to the analytical procedure described in § 172.886(b) of this chapter.
Ultraviolet absorbance per centimeter pathlength:
| Millimicrons | Maximum |
| --- | --- |
| 280 to 289 | 0.15 |
| 290 to 299 | .12 |
| 300 to 359 | .08 |
| 360 to 400 | .02 |
(c) Petroleum wax may contain any antioxidant permitted in food by regulations issued in accordance with section 409 of the act, in an amount not greater than that required to produce its intended effect.
(d) Petroleum wax may contain a total of not more than 1 weight percent of residues of the following polymers when such residues result from use of the polymers as processing aids (filter aids) in the production of the petroleum wax: Homopolymers and/or copolymers derived from one or more of the mixed *n*-alkyl (C<sub>12</sub>, C<sub>14</sub>, C<sub>16</sub>, and C<sub>18</sub>) methacrylate esters where the C<sub>12</sub> and C<sub>14</sub> alkyl groups are derived from coconut oil and the C<sub>16</sub> and C<sub>18</sub> groups are derived from tallow.
(e) Petroleum wax may contain 2-hydroxy-4-*n*-octoxybenzophenone as a stabilizer at a level not to exceed 0.01 weight percent of the petroleum wax.
(f) Petroleum wax may contain poly(alkylacrylate) (CAS Reg. No. 27029-57-8), as described in § 172.886(c)(2) of this chapter, as a processing aid in the manufacture of petroleum wax.
[42 FR 14609, Mar. 15, 1977, as amended at 51 FR 19545, May 30, 1986]