Argon

Detailed information

What it is & how it is made

A monatomic noble gas that occurs naturally in air and is chemically inert; it is obtained by fractional distillation of liquefied air at cryogenic temperatures or recovered from the exhaust streams of ammonia plants.

Where it is used

Used as a packaging gas and propellant to reduce the contact of food with oxygen. In the EU it is authorised at quantum satis in all food categories, including foods for infants and young children, and it also appears in the lists of the Turkish Food Codex Regulation on Food Additives.

Health note

In its 2024 re-evaluation (EFSA Journal 2024;22(10):9048) EFSA stated that, because of their physicochemical properties, argon and helium are of low toxicological concern when used as food additives, and concluded that their use does not raise a safety concern. The Panel noted that no information was available on impurities of toxicological concern arising from the manufacturing processes, but that the existing specifications require a minimum purity of 99.0%.

Halal assessment

Its source is air; production is a physical separation process and no animal input is reported. Consult the manufacturer's halal certificate for a definitive answer.