Propionic Acid プロピオン酸

In Japan

• A designated additive classified as both a preservative and a flavoring. As a preservative, the standards for use limit it to cheese, bread, and Western-style confectionery.
• Preservatives are one of the 8 purposes that must be written with the purpose name, as in “保存料（プロピオン酸）” (preservative (propionic acid)). When used as a flavoring, it falls within the group name for flavorings and can be written together as “香料” (flavoring).

Japan's standards for use

• Cheese: up to 3.0 g/kg as propionic acid
• Bread and Western-style confectionery: up to 2.5 g/kg as propionic acid
• In cheese, when used together with sorbic acid, potassium sorbate, or calcium sorbate, the sum of the amount as propionic acid and the amount as sorbic acid must be up to 3.0 g/kg
• When used as a flavoring: must not be used for any purpose other than flavoring

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 E280.
• In the EU it is also listed in the Union list of flavouring substances as FL 08.003.

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)

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.