Food additive databaseprocessing agentChecked 2026-10-02

Quicklime 生石灰

Existing food additivePermitted in the EU (E529)

Purpose: processing agent
On the label: “生石灰” (quicklime) (not labeled when it counts as a processing aid)
Name in the List of Existing Food Additives: 生石灰 (No. 160)
Source and production: Obtained by calcining limestone. The main component is calcium oxide.

In Japan

A processing agent obtained by burning limestone, with calcium oxide as the main component. The specifications require that the ignited material contain at least 93.0% calcium oxide (Japanese Standards of Food Additives). There are no standards for use.
Labeling is omitted when it counts as a processing aid (the Food Labeling Standards). The designated additive “酸化カルシウム” (calcium oxide) is a separate item.

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 E529.
In the EU list, it appears under the name calcium oxide (E529).

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 processing agent

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