Potassium polyaspartate
64723-18-8 · E 456 · POTASSIUM POLYASPARTATE · E456 · 456 · Dipotassium;(2S)-2-aminobutanedioate · Potassium Polyaspartate · Kaaliumpolüaspartaat · Kalijev poliaspartat · Kalio poliaspartatas · Kaliumpolyaspartaat · Kaliumpolyaspartaatti · Kaliumpolyaspartat · Kálium-poliaszpartát · Kālija poliaspartāts · Poliasparaginian potasu · Poliaspartat de potasiu · Poliaspartat tal-potassju · Poliaspartato de potasio · Poliaspartato de potássio · Poliaspartato di potassio · Polyaspartate de potassium · Polyaspartát draselný · Potassium polyaspartate · ΠΛΥΑΣΠΑΡΤΙΚΟ ΚΑΛΙΟ · Πολυασπαρτικό κάλιο · Калиев полиаспартатE number E456INS 456CAS 64723-18-8
Listed as a stabiliser by Codex.
Listed as stabilisers (Codex)
- Codex Alimentarius: Stabilizer — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 456
Potassium polyaspartate is a wine stabiliser that prevents tartrate crystals by interfering with how they grow, an alternative to cold stabilisation, in which the wine is chilled for days.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | Permitted, with conditions | 1 food category highest permitted level 100 mg/kg | Food Standards Code, Schedule 15, S15—5, item 14.2.2, INS 456retrieved 2026-10-17 |
| Canada | Permitted, with conditions | highest permitted level 100 mg/kg In: Fruit wine; Wine. Purpose: To inhibit crystal formation. Limit: 100 ppm. Amendment notices: NOM/ADM-0162. | Health Canada, List of Permitted Food Additives with Other Purposes of Use (List 8), item P.11retrieved 2026-10-17 |
| European Union | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Great Britain | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Japan | No listing matchedThis site imports only Japan’s list of designated additives (Appended Table 1 to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act), matched by English name. Existing additives, natural flavouring agents and ordinary foods used as additives are permitted outside that list and are not imported, so an empty row does not show that Japan does not permit the substance. | ||
| South Korea | No listing matchedThis site imports Part III of South Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, matched by CAS number, then INS number, then exact name. Mixed preparations and sanitisers are not imported, and an entry whose identifiers disagreed with a page’s is held for review, so an empty row does not show that South Korea does not permit the substance. | ||
| United States | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. | ||
| Codex Alimentarius | Permitted, with conditions | 1 food category highest permitted level 100 mg/kg | CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 456, food category 14.2.3retrieved 2026-09-07 |
How much is permitted
A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.
| Australia and New Zealand | 100 mg/kg | 1 numeric limit |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 100 mg/kg | 1 numeric limit |
| Codex Alimentarius | 100 mg/kg | 1 numeric limit |
GRAS notices to the FDA
A GRAS notice is a company’s conclusion that a substance is generally recognised as safe for the use it describes. FDA’s letter responds to that conclusion, for that notifier and that use. It is not a listing in 21 CFR, and it is not counted as a US permission above. The substance and use are as FDA’s inventory words them; this site matched the notice to this page by exact name.
GRN No. 770 · Potassium polyaspartate · Enartis USA, Inc.
Intended use: Intended for use as a stabilizer in wine at levels up to 300 mg/L.
FDA’s response (2018-09-11): FDA has no questions
What it is made from
Produced by polymerising aspartic acid and neutralising with potassium.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
- CAS registry number
- 64723-18-8
How the EU defines it
The legal specification an additive must meet to be sold as this E number in the EU — what it is, how it may be made, and the purity it must reach. From Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012.
A specification does not authorise use. This site holds no EU permission for Potassium polyaspartate in food; see the EU row in the status panel above.
E 456 Potassium polyaspartate
Potassium polyaspartate is the potassium salt of polyaspartic acid, produced from L-aspartic acid and potassium hydroxide. The thermic process transforms the aspartic acid in polysuccinimide that is insoluble. Polysuccinimide is treated with potassium hydroxide allowing the opening of the ring and polymerisation of the units. The last step is the spray drying phase, which results in a light tan powder
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- CAS number
- 64723-18-8
- Chemical name
- L-aspartic acid, homopolymer, potassium salt
- Chemical formula
- [C₄H₄NO₃K]ₙ
- Weight average molecular weight
- Approximately 5 300 g/mol
- Assay
- Not less than 98 % on dry weight basis
- Particle size
- Not less than 45 μm (not more than 1 % in weight of particles of less than 45 μm)
- Description
- A light brown odourless powder
Identification
- Solubility
- Very soluble in water and slightly soluble in organic solvents
- pH
- 7,5-8,5 (40 % aqueous solution)
Purity criteria
- Degree of substitutions
- Not less than 91,5 % on dry weight basis
- Loss on drying
- Not more than 11 % (105 °C,12 hours)
- Potassium hydroxide
- Not more than 2 %
- Aspartic acid
- Not more than 1 %
- Other impurities
- Not more than 0,1 %
- Arsenic
- Not more than 2,5 mg/kg
- Lead
- Not more than 1,5 mg/kg
- Mercury
- Not more than 0,5 mg/kg
- Cadmium
- Not more than 0,1 mg/kg
Every name it appears under
27 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
E number
- E456
INS number
- 456
CAS registry number
- 64723-18-8
As it appears in regulation
- Potassium Polyaspartate
Other names
- E 456
- POTASSIUM POLYASPARTATE
Systematic names
- Dipotassium;(2S)-2-aminobutanedioate
Hazard reference values
| Type | Value | Population | Assessed by | Opinion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADI | not specified | — | JECFA | 2019 |
Evidence and how bodies read it
Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.
Common questions
Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.
- What is E 456?
- E 456 is Potassium polyaspartate. Potassium polyaspartate is a wine stabiliser that prevents tartrate crystals by interfering with how they grow, an alternative to cold stabilisation, in which the wine is chilled for days.
- What is Potassium polyaspartate used for in food?
- It is listed as a stabiliser — the role Codex assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Where is Potassium polyaspartate permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, Australia and New Zealand, Canada and the Codex standard permit it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
- Is Potassium polyaspartate vegan?
- Yes. Potassium polyaspartate is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.
Sources for this page
- anz retrieved 2026-10-17
- ca retrieved 2026-10-17
- gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07
- euspecs retrieved 2026-10-18
Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.
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