Potassium bicarbonate

E number E501INS 501(ii)CAS 298-14-6

Used as an acidity regulator — Codex also lists it as raising agent, stabilizer.

Potassium bicarbonate is a raising agent and acidity regulator used where sodium is being reduced, and in winemaking to lower acidity.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Potassium bicarbonate by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted21 CFR 184.1613retrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFAPermitted, with conditions

9 food categories

highest permitted level 2,000 mg/kg

Show every food category
  • 01.2.1.2 Fermented milks (plain), heat-treated after fermentation — GMP
  • 01.4.1 Pasteurized cream (plain) — GMP
  • 01.4.2 Sterilized and UHT creams, whipping and whipped creams, and reduced fat creams (plain) — GMP
  • 01.8.2 Dried whey and whey products, excluding whey cheeses — GMP
  • 09.2.2 Frozen battered fish, fish fillets and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — GMP
  • 13.1.1 Infant formulae — 2,000 mg/kg
  • 13.1.2 Follow-up formulae — GMP
  • 13.1.3 Formulae for special medical purposes for infants — 2,000 mg/kg
  • 13.2 Complementary foods for infants and young children — GMP
CXS 192-1995 Table Three, INS 501(ii)and 9 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07

What it is made from

Made by passing carbon dioxide through potassium carbonate solution.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
CAS registry number
298-14-6
InChIKey
TYJJADVDDVDEDZ-UHFFFAOYSA-M
PubChem
CID 516893

Every name it appears under

52 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

E number

  • E501

INS number

  • 501(ii)

CAS registry number

  • 298-14-6

As it appears in regulation

  • Potassium bicarbonate

Other names

  • Acid potassium carbonate
  • Armicarb
  • CARBONIC ACID, MONOPOTASSIUM SALT
  • Carbonic acid, potassium salt (1:1)
  • CCRIS 3510
  • CHKO3
  • E 501(ii)
  • Effer-K
  • Effer-K 10 mEq Cherry Vanilla
  • Effer-K 10 mEq Unflavored
  • Effer-K 20 mEq Orange Cream
  • Effer-K 20 mEq Unflavored
  • Effer-K Cherry Berry
  • Effer-K Lemon Citrus
  • Effer-K Orange
  • Effer-K Unflavored
  • EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 073508
  • HM5Z15LEBN
  • INS NO.501(II)
  • INS-501(II)
  • K-vescent (TN)
  • Kafylox
  • Kaligreen
  • KHCO3
  • KLOR-Con/EF
  • Milstop
  • Monopotassium carbonate
  • Pot eff
  • potasium bicarbonate
  • Potassium acid carbonate
  • potassium bicabonate
  • potassium bicarbonat
  • Potassium bicarbonate
  • Potassium bicarbonate (USP)
  • Potassium bicarbonate, ACS grade
  • Potassium bicarbonate, Trace metals grade 99.98%
  • potassium hydogencarbonate
  • potassium hydrocarbonate
  • Potassium hydrogen carbonate
  • potassium hydrogen-carbonate
  • Potassium hydrogencarbonate
  • potassium;hydron;carbonate
  • POTASSIUMBICARBONATE
  • PotassiumBicarbonate-13C
  • potassiumhydrogencarbonate
  • Purple k
  • TowerX Effervescent Potassium

Systematic names

  • Potassium;hydrogen carbonate

Hazard reference values

No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr retrieved 2026-09-07
  • gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/potassium-bicarbonate.json