Food additive databaseleavening agent, pH adjusterChecked 2026-10-02
Potassium L-Bitartrate (Potassium Hydrogend-Tartrate or Potassium HydrogenL-Tartrate) L－酒石酸水素カリウム（別名d－酒石酸水素カリウム又はL－重酒石酸カリウム）
Designated additivePermitted in the EU (E336)EFSA ADI 240mg per kg body weight per day
- Purpose
- leavening agent, pH adjuster
- On the label
- “酒石酸水素カリウム” (potassium hydrogen tartrate), “重酒石酸K” (potassium bitartrate), “酒石酸K” (potassium tartrate), “膨脹剤・pH調整剤・調味料（有機酸）” (leavening agent, pH adjuster, seasoning (organic acid)) (group names)
- Name in the List of Designated Additives
- L－酒石酸水素カリウム（別名d－酒石酸水素カリウム又はL－重酒石酸カリウム） (No. 211)
In Japan
- The potassium salt (acid salt) of tartaric acid, which also forms during winemaking. It is used as, for example, the acidic agent in baking powder.
- No individual standards for use appear in the list of standards for use.
- It falls within the range of the group names leavening agent, pH adjuster, and seasoning (organic acid). Its short names are “酒石酸カリウム” (potassium tartrate), “酒石酸K” (potassium tartrate), “重酒石酸カリウム” (potassium bitartrate), and “重酒石酸K” (potassium bitartrate).
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 on the EU list of food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II) as E336.
- In its 2020 evaluation, EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) set an ADI (acceptable daily intake) of 240mg per kg of body weight per day (a group ADI, for the total of related substances) (EFSA FAF).
When it is labeled under a shared name
Potassium L-Bitartrate (Potassium Hydrogend-Tartrate or Potassium HydrogenL-Tartrate) may be declared on the label in the same way as “膨張剤”. See Leavening agent (baking powder) 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
- EFSA OpenFoodTox (chemical hazards database)
- 消費者庁 食品表示基準Q&A 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)
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.