Food additive databaseacidulant, pH adjuster, leavening agentChecked 2026-10-02
DL-Tartaric Acid (dl-Tartaric Acid) DL－酒石酸（別名dl－酒石酸）
Designated additiveNot on the EU additive list
- Purpose
- acidulant, pH adjuster, leavening agent
- On the label
- “酸味料” (acidulant), “pH調整剤” (pH adjuster), “膨脹剤” (leavening agent) (group names), “酒石酸” (tartaric acid)
- Name in the List of Designated Additives
- DL－酒石酸（別名dl－酒石酸） (No. 205)
In Japan
- The DL form (racemic form) of tartaric acid. It falls within the group names for acidulant, pH adjuster, and leavening agent, and when used for those purposes it can be written under a group name.
- When written by substance name, the simplified name is “酒石酸” (tartaric acid), the same as for L-tartaric acid. No standards for use have been set.
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
- It is not on the EU list of food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II), so it cannot be used as a food additive in the EU.
- The form permitted in the EU as tartaric acid and tartrates (E334 to 337, E354) is the L(+) form; the DL form is not included (EFSA 2020 re-evaluation)
When it is labeled under a shared name
DL-Tartaric Acid (dl-Tartaric Acid) may be declared on the label in the same way as “酸味料”. See Acidulant (acidity regulator) for details.
Sources
- List of Designated Additives — Japan Food Chemical Research Foundation (Japanese)
- Standards for use and storage of each additive — Japan Food Chemical Research Foundation (Japanese)
- EU food additive database (Japanese translation) — MAFF (Japanese)
- Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives — EUR-Lex
- 消費者庁「食品表示基準について」別添 添加物関係（簡略名・用途名併記・一括名・栄養強化の範囲） (Japanese)
- EFSA FAF Panel (2020) Re-evaluation of l(+)-tartaric acid (E 334), sodium tartrates (E 335), potassium tartrates (E 336), potassium sodium tartrate (E 337) and calcium tartrate (E 354) as food additives (Japanese)
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.