Food additive databaseacidulant, pH adjuster, seasoning, emulsifierChecked 2026-10-02
Trisodium Citrate (Sodium Citrate) クエン酸三ナトリウム（別名クエン酸ナトリウム）
Designated additivePermitted in the EU (E331)
- Purpose
- acidulant, pH adjuster, seasoning, emulsifier
- On the label
- “pH調整剤” (pH adjuster), “酸味料” (acidulant), “調味料（有機酸）” (seasoning (organic acid)), “乳化剤（プロセスチーズ類）” (emulsifier (processed cheese)), “クエン酸Na” (sodium citrate)
- Name in the List of Designated Additives
- クエン酸三ナトリウム（別名クエン酸ナトリウム） (No. 121)
In Japan
- The sodium salt of citric acid. There are no standards for use (rules on which foods it may be used in or how much).
- When used as a pH adjuster, acidulant, or seasoning, it can be written with a group name, so the substance name may not appear. When used as an emulsifier in processed cheese, it falls under the group name “乳化剤” (emulsifier). When written by substance name, the short name is “クエン酸Na” (sodium citrate) (CAA, Annex to the Food Labeling Standards explanatory notice).
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 E331.
When it is labeled under a shared name
Trisodium Citrate (Sodium Citrate) may be declared on the label in the same way as “pH調整剤”. See pH adjuster 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)
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.