Potassium sorbate

E number E202INS 202CAS 24634-61-5

Used as a preservative.

Potassium sorbate is the potassium salt of sorbic acid and the form most often used in practice, because it dissolves far more readily in water. It preserves cheese, wine, baked goods, dried fruit and many soft drinks against moulds and yeasts.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Potassium sorbate 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 182.3640retrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFAPermitted, with conditions

81 food categories

highest permitted level 10,000 mg/kg

Show every food category
  • 01.1.4 Flavoured Fluid Milk Drinks — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 01.2.2 Renneted milk (plain) — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 01.3.2 Beverage whiteners — 200 mg/kg
  • 01.6.1 Unripened cheese — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 01.6.2 Ripened cheese — 3,000 mg/kg
  • 01.6.3 Whey cheese — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 01.6.4 Processed cheese — 3,000 mg/kg
  • 01.6.5 Cheese analogues — 3,000 mg/kg
  • 01.6.6 Whey protein cheese — 3,000 mg/kg
  • 01.7 Dairy-based desserts (e.g. pudding, fruit or flavoured yoghurt) — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 02.2.2 Fat spreads, dairy fat spreads and blended spreads — 2,000 mg/kg
  • 02.3 Fat emulsions mainly of type oil-in-water, including mixed and/or flavoured products based on fat emulsions — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 02.4 Fat-based desserts excluding dairy-based dessert products of food category 01.7 — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 04.1.1.2 Surface-treated fresh fruit — 20 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.10 Fermented fruit products — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.11 Fruit fillings for pastries — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.12 Cooked fruit — 1,200 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.2 Dried fruit — 500 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.3 Fruit in vinegar, oil, or brine — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.5 — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.6 Fruit-based spreads (e.g. chutney) excluding products of food category — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.7 Candied fruit — 500 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.8 Fruit preparations, including pulp, purees, fruit toppings and coconut milk — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.9 Fruit-based desserts, incl. fruit-flavoured water-based desserts — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.3 Vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), and seaweeds in vinegar, oil, brine, or soybean sauce — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.5 Vegetable (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), seaweed, and nut and seed purees and spreads (e.g. peanut butter) — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.6 Vegetable (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), seaweed, and nut and seed pulps and preparations (e.g. vegetable desserts and sauces, candied vegetables) other than food category 04.2.2.5 — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.7 Fermented vegetable (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera) and seaweed products, excluding fermented soybean products of food categories 06.8.6, 06.8.7, 12.9.1, — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.8 Cooked or fried vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), and seaweeds — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 05.1.2 Cocoa mixes (syrups) — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 05.1.3 Cocoa-based spreads, incl. fillings — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 05.1.5 Imitation chocolate, chocolate substitute products — 1,500 mg/kg
  • 05.2 Confectionery including hard and soft candy, nougats, etc. other than food categories 05.1, 05.3, and 05.4 — 1,500 mg/kg
  • 05.3 Chewing gum — 1,500 mg/kg
  • 05.4 Decorations (e.g. for fine bakery wares), toppings (non-fruit), and sweet sauces — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 06.4.3 Pre-cooked pastas and noodles and like products — 2,000 mg/kg
  • 06.5 Cereal and starch based desserts (e.g. rice pudding, tapioca pudding) — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 06.6 Batters (e.g. for breading or batters for fish or poultry) — 2,000 mg/kg
  • 07.0 Bakery wares — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 08.2.1.1 Cured (including salted) non-heat treated processed meat, poultry, and game products in whole pieces or cuts — 200 mg/kg
  • 08.2.1.2 Cured (including salted) and dried non-heat treated processed meat, poultry, and game products in whole pieces or cuts — 2,000 mg/kg
  • 08.2.1.3 Fermented non-heat treated processed meat, poultry, and game products in whole pieces or cuts — 200 mg/kg
  • 08.2.2 Heat-treated processed meat, poultry, and game products in whole pieces or cuts — 200 mg/kg
  • 08.2.3 Frozen processed meat, poultry and game products in whole pieces or cuts — 200 mg/kg
  • 08.3 Processed comminuted meat, poultry, and game products — 1,500 mg/kg
  • 08.4 Edible casings (e.g. sausage casings) — 10,000 mg/kg
  • 09.2.4.1 Cooked fish and fish products — 2,000 mg/kg
  • 09.2.4.2 Cooked molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 2,000 mg/kg
  • 09.2.5 Smoked, dried, fermented, and/or salted fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 09.3 Semi-preserved fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 10.2.1 Liquid egg products — 5,000 mg/kg
  • 10.2.2 Frozen egg products — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 10.2.3 Dried and/or heat coagulated egg products — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 10.4 Egg-based desserts (e.g. custard) — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 11.4 Other sugars and syrups (e.g. xylose, maple syrup, sugar toppings) — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 11.6 Table-top sweeteners, including those containing high-intensity sweeteners — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 12.2 Herbs, spices, seasonings, and condiments (e.g. seasoning for instant noodles) — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 12.4 Mustards — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 12.5 Soups and broths — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 12.6 Sauces and like products — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 12.7 Salads (e.g. macaroni salad, potato salad) and sandwich spreads excluding cocoa-and nut-based spreads of food categories 04.2.2.5 and 05.1.3 — 1,500 mg/kg
  • 12.9.1 Fermented soybean paste (e.g. miso) — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 12.9.2.1 Fermented soybean sauce — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 12.9.2.3 Other soybean sauces — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 13.3 Dietetic foods intended for special medical purposes (excluding products of food category 13.1) — 1,500 mg/kg
  • 13.4 Dietetic formulae for slimming purposes and weight reduction — 1,500 mg/kg
  • 13.5 Dietetic foods (e.g. supplementary foods for dietary use) excluding products of food categories — 1,500 mg/kg
  • 13.6 Food supplements — 2,000 mg/kg
  • 14.1.2.1 Fruit juice — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 14.1.2.3 Concentrates for fruit juice — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 14.1.3.1 Fruit nectar — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 14.1.3.3 Concentrates for fruit nectar — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 14.1.4 Water-based flavoured drinks, including "sport," “energy,” or "electrolyte" drinks and particulated drinks — 500 mg/kg
  • 14.1.5 Coffee, coffee substitutes, tea, herbal infusions, and other hot cereal and grain beverages, excluding cocoa — 500 mg/kg
  • 14.2.2 Cider and perry — 500 mg/kg
  • 14.2.3 Grape wines — 200 mg/kg
  • 14.2.4 Wines (other than grape) — 500 mg/kg
  • 14.2.5 Mead — 200 mg/kg
  • 14.2.7 Aromatized alcoholic beverages (e.g. beer, wine and spirituous cooler-type beverages, low-alcoholic refreshers) — 500 mg/kg
  • 15.1 Snacks - potato, cereal, flour or starch based (from roots and tubers, pulses and legumes) — 1,000 mg/kg
  • 15.2 Processed nuts, including coated nuts and nut mixtures (with e.g. dried fruit) — 1,000 mg/kg
CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 202and 80 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07

What it is made from

Made by neutralising synthetic sorbic acid with potassium hydroxide. The sorbic acid itself is produced from petroleum-derived crotonaldehyde and ketene rather than from rowan berries. No animal material is involved.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
CAS registry number
24634-61-5
InChIKey
CHHHXKFHOYLYRE-STWYSWDKSA-M
PubChem
CID 23676745

Every name it appears under

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

E number

  • E202

INS number

  • 202

CAS registry number

  • 24634-61-5
  • 590-00-1

As it appears in regulation

  • Potassium sorbate

Other names

  • 1VPU26JZZ4
  • 2,4-Hexadienoic acid, (E,E)-, potassium salt
  • 2,4-Hexadienoic acid, potassium salt
  • 2,4-Hexadienoic acid, potassium salt (1:1)
  • 2,4-Hexadienoic acid, potassium salt (1:1), (2E,4E)-
  • 2,4-Hexadienoic acid, potassium salt, (2E,4E)-
  • 2,4-Hexadienoic acid, potassium salt, (E,E)-
  • 2,?4-?Hexadienoic acid, potassium salt (1:1)?, (2E,?4E)?-
  • BB Powder
  • Caswell No. 701C
  • CCRIS 1894
  • E 202
  • EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 075902
  • FEMA No. 2921
  • HSDB 1230
  • Ins no.202
  • Ins-202
  • potassium (2E,4E)-hexa-2,4-dienoate
  • Potassium (e,e')-sorbate
  • Potassium (E,E')-sorbate; Potassium sorbate
  • Potassium (E,E)-2,4-hexadienoate
  • Potassium (E,E)-hexa-2,4-dienoate
  • Potassium 2,4-hexadienoate, (E,E)-
  • Potassium sorbate
  • Potassium sorbate (e 202)
  • Potassium sorbate (E)
  • Potassium sorbate (NF)
  • Potassium sorbate (Standard)
  • Potassium sorbate CRS
  • potassium trans,trans-2,4-hexadienoate
  • potassium trans,trans-sorbate
  • Sorbic acid (potassium)
  • SORBIC ACID K SALT
  • Sorbic acid potassium salt
  • Sorbic acid, potassium salt, (E,E)-
  • Sorbistat k
  • Sorbistat potassium
  • Sorbistat-K
  • Sorbistat-potassium
  • trans-trans-Sorbic acid potassium
  • trans-trans-Sorbic acid potassium 100 microg/mL in Water

Systematic names

  • 2,4-Hexadienoic acid, (E,E')-, potassium salt; 2,4-Hexadienoic acid, potassium salt
  • Potassium (2E,4E)-hexa-2,4-dienoate

Hazard reference values

Values set by assessing bodies. A body that has not set a value is not listed here.
TypeValuePopulationAssessed byOpinion
ADI25 mg/kg bw/dayconsumersEFSA FEEDAP2014
ADI11 mg/kg bw/dayconsumersEFSAnot identified in the dataset

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-sorbate.json