E316 – Sodium erythorbate - Food additives database

Safety grading ORANGE – SOME CONCERNS

E316 (sodium erythorbate) is widely used as a reducing agent and antioxidant, especially in cured meat products. From a regulator baseline perspective, it remains authorised in the European Union for specific food categories and permitted in the United States, where it is listed for technical functions such as antioxidant and antimicrobial support. International evaluations (including FAO/WHO work) have historically considered erythorbates to have low toxicity at levels needed for their technological purpose, and classic long-term animal studies did not demonstrate carcinogenicity when sodium erythorbate was administered at relatively high concentrations.

However, the evidence landscape has evolved in a way that matters for a consumer-facing “safety grade.” In January 2026, a large prospective cohort analysis (NutriNet-Santé, France) reported that higher dietary exposure to sodium erythorbate was associated with a modestly higher incidence of overall cancer and breast cancer. This type of study does not prove causality, and residual confounding is a serious limitation because sodium erythorbate is most common in processed meats and other ultra-processed foods, which carry broader dietary risk signals. Even so, it is a credible, peer-reviewed signal that moves the additive from “boring and settled” into “worth watching.”

E316 is not banned and is not a high-alert additive on its own, but the new human observational signal is sufficient to justify an ORANGE – SOME CONCERNS grade rather than GREEN. The risk appears to be driven more by dietary pattern and co-exposures than by a clearly demonstrated toxic mechanism unique to sodium erythorbate, yet the association is recent and statistically meaningful. Practical caveats: the highest exposures are likely among frequent consumers of processed meats, children and high-UPF (ultra processed food) diets may accumulate higher preservative exposure overall and people on sodium-restricted diets may prefer to minimise sodium-containing additives when easy alternatives exist.

Should You Avoid E316?

You do not need to panic-avoid E316 in isolation. A sensible approach is to reduce the foods that most commonly contain it, particularly processed and cured meats. If you eat these products only occasionally, E316 is unlikely to be a major driver of health risk. If you regularly consume deli meats, hot dogs, bacon, or similar products, reducing frequency and portion size is the most effective way to cut exposure not only to E316 but also to other preservatives that cluster in the same foods.

Common Uses

Cured meats (sausages, hot dogs, bologna, ham, bacon): stabilises cured colour, slows rancidity, and supports curing reactions.
Processed poultry (marinated or cured products): antioxidant protection and colour stability.
Canned or preserved meats: limits oxidative flavour changes during storage.
Some fish products (selected preserved or semi-preserved categories): antioxidant function where permitted.
Occasional beverages or bakery items: less common, but used where oxidation control is needed.

Common names / Synonyms

Sodium erythorbate
Sodium isoascorbate
Sodium D-isoascorbate
Isoascorbate (sodium salt)
Erythorbic acid, sodium salt
INS 316

What is it?

Sodium erythorbate is the sodium salt of erythorbic acid (also known as isoascorbic acid), a stereoisomer of ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Chemically, it behaves as a strong reducing agent, meaning it readily donates electrons. That chemistry is exactly why food manufacturers like it: it can slow oxidation processes that cause off-flavours, colour changes, and quality loss during storage. In practical terms, E316 “mops up” oxygen-related reactions and helps maintain a fresher sensory profile, particularly in fat-containing foods that otherwise oxidise easily.

In cured meats, sodium erythorbate has an additional technological role. It accelerates the conversion steps that produce the characteristic cured-meat colour and can help reduce the formation of certain unwanted by-products associated with nitrite curing. This is one reason E316 often appears alongside other curing ingredients in processed meats. It is important to note that while it is structurally related to vitamin C, sodium erythorbate does not function as a vitamin in the same way, and it is used for its technological effects rather than nutritional value.

Industrial production typically starts from carbohydrate feedstocks (such as glucose derived from corn, sugar cane, or beets). Manufacturing routes commonly involve microbial fermentation and downstream purification steps to obtain erythorbic acid, followed by neutralisation with a sodium source to form the sodium salt. The end product is usually a white crystalline powder or granules that dissolves well in water, which makes it easy to dose accurately in brines, curing mixes, and processed-food formulations.

Where it’s allowed (EU vs US)

EU: E316 is authorised, but its use is restricted to defined food categories and conditions (it is not a “use anywhere” additive). Maximum levels can apply, and in some categories limits are expressed as a combined total with E315 (erythorbic acid).

US: Sodium erythorbate is permitted for specific technical functions (for example as an antioxidant) and is used according to good manufacturing practice (GMP).

Cumulative time dependent intake of preservatives,
including those in industrial food brands, assessed
using repeated 24 hour dietary records and evaluated
through multiple composition databases and ad
hoc laboratory assays in food products for the most
frequently consumed additive-food pairs. Associations
between intake of three categories of preservatives
(defined as sex specific thirds if preservative
was consumed by at least a third of participants,
otherwise defined as non-consumers and lower or
higher consumers separated by the sex specific
median) and cancer incidence were characterised
using multivariable proportional hazards Cox models
adjusted for potential confounders.

CONCLUSION
Multiple positive associations between intake of
preservatives widely used in industrial foods and
higher cancer incidence (overall, breast, and prostate)
were observed in this large prospective cohort.
Epidemiology based on health effect biomarkers and
experimental research are needed to gain insight
into outcome pathways. If confirmed, these new data
call for the re-evaluation of regulations governing the
food industry’s use of these additives, to improve
consumer protection. In the meantime, the findings
support recommendations for consumers to favour
freshly made, minimally processed foods

E316 – Sodium erythorbate