Food additive databasekansui, leavening agent, emulsifierChecked 2026-10-02
Potassium Metaphosphate メタリン酸カリウム
Designated additivePermitted in the EU (E452(ii))EFSA ADI 40mg per kg body weight per day
- Purpose
- kansui, leavening agent, emulsifier
- On the label
- “メタリン酸K” (potassium metaphosphate, abbreviated), “リン酸塩（K）” (phosphates (K)), “かんすい” (kansui), “膨張剤” (leavening agent), “乳化剤（プロセスチーズ類）” (emulsifier (processed cheese types))
- Name in the List of Designated Additives
- メタリン酸カリウム (No. 410)
In Japan
- One of the phosphate salts. Under the Food Labeling Standards, it is among the additives that can be labeled with the respective group names when used as kansui (alkaline agent) for Chinese-style noodles, as a leavening agent, or as an emulsifier in processed cheese types.
- No standards for use (the foods it can be used in or upper limits on the amount) have been set.
- When written by substance name, the abbreviated name “メタリン酸K” (potassium metaphosphate, abbreviated) can be used, and when used together with other phosphates it can be written together as “リン酸塩（K）” (phosphates (K)).
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 E452(ii).
- It has no E number of its own in the EU; “potassium metaphosphate” is included as an alternate name within the specification for E452(ii) (potassium polyphosphate).
- The EFSA group ADI for phosphates (40 mg per kg of body weight per day) is expressed as the amount converted to phosphorus.
- In its 2019 evaluation, EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) set an ADI (acceptable daily intake) of 40mg 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 Metaphosphate may be declared on the label in the same way as “リン酸塩”. See Phosphates 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 (2019) Re-evaluation of phosphoric acid–phosphates – di-, tri- and polyphosphates (E 338–341, E 343, E 450–452) 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.