Food additive databasebleaching agent, preservative, antioxidantChecked 2026-10-02
Sodium Pyrosulfite (Sodium Metabisulfite or Acid Sulfite of Soda) ピロ亜硫酸ナトリウム（別名亜硫酸水素ナトリウム、メタ重亜硫酸ナトリウム又は酸性亜硫酸ソーダ）
Designated additivePermitted in the EU (E223)
- Purpose
- bleaching agent, preservative, antioxidant
- On the label
- “漂白剤（亜硫酸塩）” (bleaching agent (sulfites)), “酸化防止剤（亜硫酸Na）” (antioxidant (sodium sulfite)), “保存料（重亜硫酸Na）” (preservative (sodium bisulfite)), “亜硫酸ソーダ” (sodium sulfite)
- Name in the List of Designated Additives
- ピロ亜硫酸ナトリウム（別名亜硫酸水素ナトリウム、メタ重亜硫酸ナトリウム又は酸性亜硫酸ソーダ） (No. 339)
In Japan
- One of the sulfites, used for bleaching, preservation and preventing oxidation. The foods it can be used in, and the amount allowed to remain in food (residue as sulfur dioxide), are set (standards for use).
- It covers foods such as dried gourd strips (kanpyo), dried fruits, raisins and fruit wine, and cannot be used in sesame, beans (legumes) or vegetables.
- It is written together with the purpose name, as in “漂白剤（亜硫酸塩）” (bleaching agent (sulfites)). The short names are “亜硫酸塩” (sulfites), “亜硫酸Na” (sodium sulfite), “重亜硫酸Na” (sodium bisulfite), “亜硫酸ソーダ” (sodium sulfite) and others (CAA, Attachment to the Food Labeling Standards guidance).
Japan's standards for use
- Dried gourd strips (kanpyo): residue of less than 5.0 g/kg as sulfur dioxide
- Dried fruits (excluding raisins): less than 2.0 g/kg as sulfur dioxide
- Raisins: less than 1.5 g/kg as sulfur dioxide
- Konjac flour: less than 0.90 g/kg as sulfur dioxide
- Dried potatoes, gelatin, Dijon mustard: less than 0.50 g/kg as sulfur dioxide
- Fruit wine and other alcoholic beverages (zasshu): less than 0.35 g/kg as sulfur dioxide
- Other foods: less than 0.030 g/kg as sulfur dioxide (excluding cherries for making candied cherries, and others)
- Must not be used in sesame, beans (legumes) or vegetables
- And others (candied cherries, molasses, starch syrup (mizuame), natural fruit juice, amanatto, boiled beans, shrimp, frozen raw crab, etc.)
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 E223.
- In its 2016 re-evaluation, EFSA set a temporary group ADI for sulfur dioxide and sulfites (E220 to E228) of 0.7 mg per kg of body weight per day, as sulfur dioxide. In its 2022 follow-up evaluation, it withdrew this, saying the toxicity data are insufficient to derive an ADI, and switched to an approach based on the margin of exposure (MOE). In that assessment, for high consumers (95th percentile) the estimated MOE was below the reference value of 80 in all age groups except adolescents, and EFSA concluded there is a safety concern.
When it is labeled under a shared name
Sodium Pyrosulfite (Sodium Metabisulfite or Acid Sulfite of Soda) may be declared on the label in the same way as “亜硫酸塩”. See Sulfites 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
- 消費者庁「食品表示基準について」別添 添加物1-1〜1-5（簡略名・用途名併記・一括名・栄養強化の範囲）東京都保健医療局の掲載版 (Japanese)
- EFSA FAF Panel (2022) Follow-up of the re-evaluation of sulfur dioxide (E 220) and sulfites (E 221–228) (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.