What is Denatonium Benzoate?
Denatonium Benzoate is the world’s bitterest known substance. By just adding as little as thirty parts of Denatonium Benzoate to one million parts of a liquid, it makes that liquid too bitter to be tolerated by most human subjects. The Guiness Book of Records have described this denaturant as the bitterest compound known to man. Chemically, Denatonium Benzoate is a close relative of the local anesthetic lidocaine – its structure differs from lidocaine by the addition of a single benzyl group. Because of its aversive reaction, BITRON is increasingly being used as an aversion additive, which when added to household items such as toiletries and to outdoor products such as pesticides help to prevent accidental poisonings. BITRON is an inert and odourless substance. Only a tiny amount is required to make a product taste unpleasant.
