A solution of formaldehyde in water; an alternative term for formalin. Like formalin, it is used as a disinfectant and specimen preservative, and has no permitted role in food processing because of formaldehyde’s toxicity. Formalin is the more commonly used commercial name. The term persists in older microbiology and histology literature, where formol-saline and formol titration (the Sørensen method for amino nitrogen in dairy and brewing analysis) were standard. Modern usage favours ‘formalin’ or ‘neutral buffered formalin’, and neither preparation has any legitimate application in food manufacture.