Food additive databaseprocessing agentChecked 2026-10-02

Sodium Methoxide (Sodium Methylate) ナトリウムメトキシド（別名ナトリウムメチラート）

Designated additiveNot on the EU additive list

Purpose: processing agent
On the label: “ナトリウムメトキシド” (sodium methoxide) (not labeled when it counts as a processing aid)
Name in the List of Designated Additives: ナトリウムメトキシド（別名ナトリウムメチラート） (No. 288)

In Japan

A processing agent used in food manufacturing. The standards for use require that it be decomposed before the final food is completed and that the methanol produced then be removed.
When it counts as a processing aid, for example because it is removed before the food is completed, it is exempt from labeling in the ingredient list (the Food Labeling Standards).

Japan's standards for use

Sodium methoxide must be decomposed before the final food is completed, and the methanol produced by this must be removed
Storage standard: store in an airtight container

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.

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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