E301 - Sodium ascorbate

At a glance

This additive is most often used to protect color and flavor from going stale.

• What it is: the sodium salt of L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C), listed as E301 in the EU
• What it does: antioxidant; speeds curing in meats and helps control unwanted nitrosamines when used with nitrite
• Where it’s found: cured meats like bacon and ham, canned fish, fruit products, and some drinks
• On the label: “sodium ascorbate,” “E301,” or just “ascorbate”
• Related additives: ascorbic acid (E300), sodium erythorbate (E316)

Why is Sodium ascorbate added to food?

Sodium ascorbate slows down oxidation—the reactions that dull color, fade flavors, and make fats go rancid. In cured meats, it also speeds the curing reaction and helps maintain a stable pink color when used with curing salts such as sodium nitrite or sodium nitrate.¹

In the United States, its use in cured meat and poultry is specifically regulated. For example, pumped bacon must include ascorbate or erythorbate to help limit nitrosamine formation during cooking.²

What foods contain Sodium ascorbate?

You’ll most often find E301 in:

• Cured meats: bacon, ham, hot dogs, corned beef, and deli meats
• Fish products: some canned tuna, salmon, or mackerel
• Fruit and vegetable products: cut or canned items to help keep color
• Beverages: powdered drink mixes and fortified drinks
• Bakery and snacks: to protect flavor or support dough handling (less common than E300)

On ingredients lists, look for “sodium ascorbate,” “E301,” or “ascorbate.”

What can replace Sodium ascorbate?

Depending on the job, food makers may switch to:

• Other vitamin C forms: ascorbic acid (E300) for dough strengthening or browning control
• Close analogs: sodium erythorbate (E316) as a curing accelerator and antioxidant in meats
• Oil‑phase antioxidants: butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) (E320), butylated hydroxytoluene (E321), or mixed tocopherols such as tocopherol‑rich extract (E306)
• Synergists/acidulants: citric acid (E330)
• Natural extracts: extracts of rosemary (E392)

How is Sodium ascorbate made?

Sodium ascorbate is the sodium salt of L‑ascorbic acid. It is produced by neutralizing L‑ascorbic acid (E300) with a suitable sodium base (such as sodium carbonate, bicarbonate, or hydroxide), and it must meet purity criteria set in the EU additives specification.³

Is Sodium ascorbate safe to eat?

EU scientists re‑evaluated ascorbic acid (E300) and its salts, including sodium ascorbate (E301), and concluded there is no safety concern at the reported uses and levels in foods.¹ In the U.S., its use in meat and poultry is allowed with specific limits and conditions, such as requirements for bacon processing to help control nitrosamines.²

Very high intakes of vitamin C from supplements can cause digestive upset (like diarrhea) and may increase the risk of kidney stones in some people. Typical food additive amounts are much lower than supplement doses.⁴

Does Sodium ascorbate have any benefits?

In foods, E301 helps keep flavors and colors stable by slowing oxidation. In cured meats, it supports a consistent pink color and works with nitrite to help control nitrosamine formation during cooking.²

Who should avoid Sodium ascorbate?

• People advised by their healthcare provider to limit vitamin C (for example, due to a history of kidney stones) should be careful with high‑dose supplements; amounts used as a food additive are much smaller.⁴
• If you are on a medically prescribed low‑sodium diet, check labels and discuss overall sodium sources with your clinician.

Myths & facts

• Myth: “E‑numbers are unsafe chemicals.” Fact: The EU has evaluated E301 and found no safety concern at permitted uses and levels.
• Myth: “Sodium ascorbate is the same as nitrite.” Fact: E301 is an antioxidant and curing accelerator; nitrite is a separate curing salt. In bacon, ascorbate is used alongside nitrite to help control nitrosamines.
• Myth: “You only find it in meats.” Fact: It also appears in drinks, canned fish, and some fruit products to protect color and flavor.

Sodium ascorbate in branded foods

You can spot E301 on labels of many national and store brands of bacon, ham, hot dogs, and deli meats. It also turns up in some canned fish, powdered drink mixes, and fruit products. Look for “sodium ascorbate,” “E301,” or “ascorbate” in the ingredient list—often near curing salts like sodium nitrite.

References

Footnotes

1. Scientific Opinion on the re‑evaluation of ascorbic acid (E 300), sodium ascorbate (E 301) and calcium ascorbate (E 302) as food additives — EFSA. https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4087 ↩ ↩²

2. Use of food ingredients and sources of radiation — 9 CFR 424.21 (eCFR). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-9/chapter-III/subchapter-E/part-424/section-424.21 ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 laying down specifications for food additives listed in Annexes II and III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 — EUR-Lex. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2012/231/oj ↩

4. Vitamin C Fact Sheet for Health Professionals — NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/ ↩ ↩²