E500II - Sodium bicarbonate

At a glance

• Also called baking soda, bicarbonate of soda, or sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO3); its EU additive number is E500ii.
• Main roles in food: leavening agent and acidity regulator (pH control).
• Common in cakes, cookies, quick breads, pancakes, crackers, and many mixes; also in some effervescent drink and dessert powders.
• Works by releasing carbon dioxide gas, especially when combined with an acid or heated in the oven.
• Broadly recognized as safe by major regulators when used as intended in foods.

Why is Sodium bicarbonate added to food?

Food makers use sodium bicarbonate to do two main jobs:

• Leavening: In batters and doughs, it produces carbon dioxide gas, which expands during baking and creates lift. It works especially well when paired with an acid ingredient such as citric acid or L-tartaric acid, or with leavening acids found in baking powder like monocalcium phosphate, disodium diphosphate, or sodium aluminium phosphate.¹
• pH control: It gently neutralizes excess acidity and buffers pH, which can influence flavor and browning during cooking and baking.¹

In regulations, sodium bicarbonate is listed for use as a leavening agent and pH control agent under good manufacturing practice (GMP).¹

What foods contain Sodium bicarbonate?

You’ll most often see it in:

• Baked goods: cakes, muffins, quick breads, cookies, crackers, pancakes, and waffles.
• Mixes: baking mixes, batter mixes, and “self-rising” flour blends.
• Confectionery and drink mixes: some sherbet-style candies and powdered or tablet mixes that fizz when dissolved.

In ingredient lists, it usually appears as “sodium bicarbonate” or “baking soda.” In the EU, it belongs to the sodium carbonates group (E500), specifically E500ii.²

What can replace Sodium bicarbonate?

Depending on the recipe and dietary needs, common stand-ins include:

• Potassium hydrogen carbonate (potassium bicarbonate): a near 1:1 substitute that adds potassium instead of sodium.
• Baking powder: a ready-to-use blend of sodium bicarbonate plus acid salts (often monocalcium phosphate, disodium diphosphate, or sodium aluminium phosphate) and starch.
• Fermentation leavening: yeast or sourdough for breads that rise biologically rather than chemically.
• For certain crisp cookies and crackers: ammonium carbonates can provide strong leavening with a distinct, dry texture.

How is Sodium bicarbonate made?

Food‑grade sodium bicarbonate is produced by well‑established industrial processes. One common route bubbles carbon dioxide into appropriate sodium solutions so that sodium bicarbonate crystallizes, which is then filtered, washed, and dried. It is regulated in the EU as part of E 500 (sodium carbonates) with specifications that define E500ii as sodium hydrogen carbonate.³²

Is Sodium bicarbonate safe to eat?

Yes—when used as intended in foods. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists sodium bicarbonate as “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) for use as a leavening agent and pH control agent, provided it follows good manufacturing practice (GMP).¹ In the European Union, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) re‑evaluated sodium carbonates (E 500) and concluded there is no safety concern at the reported uses and use levels, and no numerical acceptable daily intake (ADI) was necessary.³

Notes on terms:

• GRAS means “Generally Recognized as Safe,” a regulatory category for substances widely acknowledged by qualified experts to be safe under their intended conditions of use.
• GMP means using the minimum amount necessary to achieve the desired effect in food.
• ADI means “Acceptable Daily Intake,” the amount that can be consumed daily over a lifetime without appreciable health risk.

Does Sodium bicarbonate have any benefits?

From a kitchen point of view, yes:

• It gives quick, reliable lift to cakes, muffins, and pancakes without fermentation.
• It tempers sharp acidity in some recipes, helping balance flavor.
• By nudging pH upward, it can encourage browning during baking, contributing to color and aroma.

These are technological and culinary benefits rather than health claims.

Who should avoid Sodium bicarbonate?

Sodium bicarbonate adds sodium. People advised to limit sodium intake—such as those managing high blood pressure—may prefer alternatives like potassium bicarbonate or yeast‑based leavening, or should use products formulated with less sodium.⁴ If you’re on a medically supervised low‑sodium diet, check labels and follow your healthcare professional’s advice.

Myths & facts

• Myth: “Baking soda and baking powder are the same.”
  Fact: Baking soda is just sodium bicarbonate. Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate plus one or more acid salts and a filler, so it activates on its own when moistened and heated.
• Myth: “Baking soda contains aluminum.”
  Fact: Pure sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) contains no aluminum; some baking powders use aluminum‑containing acid salts such as sodium aluminium phosphate, which is where the confusion comes from.¹
• Myth: “Sodium bicarbonate is the same as washing soda.”
  Fact: Washing soda is sodium carbonate (E500i), a different compound in the same sodium carbonates family.

Sodium bicarbonate in branded foods

You’ll find “sodium bicarbonate” or “baking soda” on ingredient lists of many:

• Baking mixes (cakes, pancakes, muffins) and self‑rising flours
• Cookies, crackers, and snack biscuits
• Batter‑coated frozen foods
• Effervescent drink and dessert powders

Label wording may vary by region, but “sodium bicarbonate” and “baking soda” are the most common names.

References

Footnotes

1. Sodium bicarbonate — U.S. FDA, 21 CFR 184.1736. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-184/section-184.1736 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

2. Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 (food additives specifications), entry for E 500ii sodium hydrogen carbonate — EUR-Lex. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2012/231/oj ↩ ↩²

3. Re‑evaluation of sodium carbonates (E 500) as food additives — EFSA Journal. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/5364 ↩ ↩²

4. About Sodium and Health — U.S. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/sodium.htm ↩