Denatonium Benzoate is a bitterant or bittering agent.
It is the bitterest stuff on earth.
The use of Denatonium benzoate dates back to 1958 when Macfarlan Smith scientists discovered it. In 1960 the US Government approved denatonium benzoate as a denaturant known by the trade name Bitrex. In the mid-1980’s Macfarlan Smith began developing Bitrex® as aversion or aversive agent to prevent accidental poisoning.
As bittering agents became accepted, other forms of denatonium benzoate were developed including denatonium chloride and denatonium Saccharide. Analytical methods to determine the assay were developed using HPLC. This allowed determination of denatonium ion concentrations in the low parts per million (PPM) range in a variety of household chemicals.