Propionic acid, sodium propionate and ammonium propionate as silage additives renewed until 2035: IC-CD to EN 17294, sodium by AAS or ICP-AES, ammonium to ISO 5664 — without aquatic animals
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2186, published on 30 October 2025, renews until 19 November 2035 the authorisations of propionic acid (1k280), sodium propionate (1k281) and ammonium propionate (1k284) as silage additives for all terrestrial animal species and repeals Regulations (EU) No 1222/2013 and 305/2014. The applicant withdrew the application for aquatic animals on 11 September 2024.
- Methods: propionic acid (in the salts as total propionic acid) — ion chromatography with conductivity detection (IC-CD) to EN 17294; sodium — AAS to EN ISO 6869 or ICP-AES to EN 15510; ammonium — distillation and titration to ISO 5664. Specifications: acid ≥ 99.5 %, non-volatile residue ≤ 0.01 % (drying at 140 °C), aldehydes ≤ 0.1 % as formaldehyde; sodium propionate ≥ 98.5 %, loss on drying ≤ 4 % (2 h, 105 °C); ammonium propionate — a preparation with ≥ 19.0 % ammonium propionate, ≤ 80.0 % propionic acid and ≤ 30 % water.
- Maximum contents: 30 000 mg/kg complete feed for pigs, 10 000 mg/kg for poultry (for the salts — expressed as propionic acid); the additives only in easy-to-ensile fresh plant material (> 3 % soluble carbohydrates in fresh matter, e.g. whole-plant maize, ryegrass, brome grass, sugar beet pulp). Label: simultaneous use of different organic acids or their salts is contraindicated when one of them is used at or near the maximum content.
- EFSA data: propionic acid (opinion of 17 September 2024) from four manufacturers, at least five batches each — on average 99.8 % (99.7–99.9 %), aldehydes < 0.01–0.05 % expressed as propionaldehyde (the specification refers to formaldehyde). Sodium propionate (3 July 2024) — five batches at 100.1–100.2 %, dusting potential 580–1845 mg/m³, dioxins below the LOQ. Ammonium propionate (3 July 2024) — composition differs between two companies: one had 25.1 % water, 54.1 % total propionic acid and 11.4 % 1,2-propanediol (calculated ammonium propionate 49.9–51.5 %), the other 72.5 % ammonium propionate, 5.0 % free acid and 22 % water.
- According to EFSA, propionic acid is corrosive to skin, sodium propionate to skin, eyes and respiratory tract (not a skin sensitiser) and ammonium propionate to skin and eyes; any user exposure is considered a risk. No efficacy assessment was needed for the renewal. In footnotes 4 and 5 of the Polish version of the act the DOI addresses of the opinions are written with a comma (e.g. j.efsa.2024,8938), in the English version with a full stop.