Additives
Sodium Dehydroacetate (E266): What It Is and Is It Safe?
Limited risk
Preservative · Antimicrobial
Sodium dehydroacetate is the water-soluble sodium salt of dehydroacetic acid, used as an antifungal preservative. It is not authorised as a food additive in the EU or GB, and several jurisdictions have recently narrowed or removed its permitted uses over incomplete safety data. High-dose animal studies have reported organ toxicity.
- Category
- Preservative — Antimicrobial
- Typically used in
- Antifungal preservative in some non-EU products such as pickles and cured foods.
- Regulatory status
- Not authorised as a food additive in the EU.
Sources
Where this comes from
- Food Standards Agency (2024) — Approved additives and E numbers https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/approved-additives-and-e-numbers
Products
Products containing Sodium Dehydroacetate
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