ingredient
noun [ C ]
uk/ɪnˈɡriːdiənt/ usone of the parts of something that is needed in order for a particular job, business, etc. to succeed:
basic/key/main ingredient Policymakers see capital investment as a key ingredient in an economic recovery.
People are the essential ingredient in creativity.
a substance that forms part of something else:
Commodities, such as steel, are important ingredients in building wind turbines.
harmful/hazardous/unsafe ingredient A high percentage of the products were found to contain unsafe ingredients.
China exported $2.5 billion of food ingredients to the United States and the rest of the world in 2006.