Food additive databaseenzymeChecked 2026-10-02

Ascorbate Oxidase アスコルビン酸オキシダーゼ

Existing food additiveEU: covered by the food enzymes rules

Purpose: enzyme
On the label: “酵素” (enzyme), “アスコルビン酸オキシダーゼ” (ascorbate oxidase), “アスコルベートオキシダーゼ” (ascorbate oxidase), “ビタミンCオキシダーゼ” (vitamin C oxidase), “V.Cオキシダーゼ” (V.C oxidase), “オキシダーゼ” (oxidase)
Name in the List of Existing Food Additives: アスコルビン酸オキシダーゼ (No. 6)
Source and production: An enzyme that oxidizes L-ascorbic acid, obtained from plants of the gourd family (the genera Cucurbita and Cucumis, etc.), from cabbage or spinach, or from cultures of filamentous fungi or actinomycetes (from the component specifications; only a limited range of species is permitted).

In Japan

On the List of Existing Food Additives (list of listed items), its purpose is enzyme. Other names are “アスコルベートオキシダーゼ” (ascorbate oxidase) and “ビタミンCオキシダーゼ” (vitamin C oxidase), and the simplified names are “オキシダーゼ” (oxidase) and “V.Cオキシダーゼ” (V.C oxidase).
It falls within the range of the group name “酵素” (enzyme). When it is not inactivated in the final food and remains effective, it can be labeled together as “酵素”. When it qualifies as a processing aid, for example because it is removed during manufacturing, labeling is exempt.
There are no standards for use.

Japan's standards for use

There are no standards for use that limit which foods or how much (the general standards for all additives still apply).

This is a summary of the standards for use. See the source list for the exact conditions.

In the EU

In the EU, food enzymes are covered by the food enzymes regulation (Regulation (EC) No 1332/2008), not by the list of food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II).
In the EU, enzymes used in food processing are in principle covered by the food enzymes regulation, Regulation (EC) No 1332/2008. Only a few enzymes, such as invertase (E1103) and lysozyme (E1105), appear on the additive list (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008).

Sources

Checked 2026-10-02. Rules and evaluations change over time. This page is a translation of our Japanese page; if they differ, the Japanese page is the reference.

This page lists facts stated in laws and in evaluations by public bodies; it is not a safety verdict. Additives used in Japan are approved by the government, which sets the foods and amounts they can be used in. The ADI is a guide to the amount that is considered safe to take every day over a lifetime.

Other substances used as enzyme

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