Sodium adipate

E number E356

Chemical structure of Sodium adipate, from PubChem compound 24073
Structure from PubChem CID 24073 (National Library of Medicine, public domain). A depiction of one compound: where a listing covers a family, or a substance has no single structure, this page shows none.

Sodium adipate is an acidity regulator permitted in the EU within the limits shared by adipic acid and its salts, chiefly in desserts, fillings and powdered drink mixes.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Sodium adipate by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
Australia and New ZealandFood Standards Australia New ZealandNo 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.
CanadaHealth CanadaNo listing matchedHealth Canada’s lists name additives without E or INS numbers, so this site matches them by exact name. A substance listed there under a name this site does not recognise has no row here.
European UnionEuropean Commission / EFSAPermitted, with conditions

5 food categories

highest permitted level 10,000 mg/l

Show every food category
  • 1.4 flavoured fermented milk products including heat-treated products — 1,000 mg/lPermitted as a member of Adipic acid - adipates. ML = 1000 mg/l. only fruit-flavoured desserts.
  • 14.1.4 Flavoured_drinks — 10,000 mg/lPermitted as a member of Adipic acid - adipates. ML = 10000 mg/l. only powders for home preparation of drinks.
  • 14.1.5.2 other — 10,000 mg/lPermitted as a member of Adipic acid - adipates. ML = 10000 mg/l. only powders for home preparation of drinks. Note 1: The additives may be added individually or in combination.
  • 16 Desserts excluding products covered in category 1 3 and 4 — 1,000 mg/kgPermitted as a member of Adipic acid - adipates. ML = 1000 mg/kg. only dry powdered dessert mixes. Note 1: The additives may be added individually or in combination.
  • 5.4 Decorations, coatings and fillings, except fruit-based fillings covered by category 4.2.4 — 2,000 mg/kgPermitted as a member of Adipic acid - adipates. ML = 2000 mg/kg. only fillings and toppings for fine bakery ware. Note 1: The additives may be added individually or in combination.
Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex IIand 4 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-18
Great BritainFood Standards Agency / Food Standards ScotlandPermitted, with conditions

5 food categories

highest permitted level 10,000 mg/kg or mg/l

Show every food category
  • 1.4 Flavoured fermented milk products including heat-treated products — 1,000 mg/kg or mg/lPermitted as a member of E 355–357: Adipic acid — adipates. ML = 1000. only fruit-flavoured desserts.
  • 14.1.4 Flavoured drinks — 10,000 mg/kg or mg/lPermitted as a member of E 355–357: Adipic acid — adipates. ML = 10000. only powders for home preparation of drinks. Note (1): The additives may be added individually or in combination.
  • 14.1.5.2 Other — 10,000 mg/kg or mg/lPermitted as a member of E 355–357: Adipic acid — adipates. ML = 10000. only powders for home preparation of drinks. Note (1): The additives may be added individually or in combination.
  • 16 Desserts excluding products covered in categories 1, 3 and 4 — several limitsPermitted as a member of E 355–357: Adipic acid — adipates. (1) ML 1000: only dry powdered dessert mixes; (2) ML 6000: only gel-like desserts; (3) ML 1000: only fruit-flavoured desserts. Note (1): The additives may be added individually or in combination.
  • 5.4 Decorations, coatings and fillings, except fruit based fillings covered by category 4.2.4 — 2,000 mg/kg or mg/lPermitted as a member of E 355–357: Adipic acid — adipates. ML = 2000. only fillings and toppings for fine bakery ware. Note (1): The additives may be added individually or in combination.
Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II (as at 28 June 2024)and 4 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-18
JapanConsumer Affairs AgencyNo 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 KoreaMinistry of Food and Drug SafetyNo 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 StatesFood and Drug AdministrationNot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFANot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.

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.

European Union1,000 mg/kg – 10,000 mg/kg5 numeric limit
Great Britain1,000 mg/kg – 10,000 mg/kg4 numeric limit, 1 several limits

What it is made from

Made by neutralising adipic acid with sodium. Adipic acid is made in bulk from petroleum-derived cyclohexane, mainly as a starting material for nylon.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian

Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.

InChIKey
KYKFCSHPTAVNJD-UHFFFAOYSA-L
PubChem
CID 24073

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.

E 356 Sodium adipate

Assay, identification and purity criteria

Description and assay

Einecs
231-293-5
Chemical name
Sodium adipate
Chemical formula
C₆H₈Na₂O₄
Molecular weight
190,11
Assay
Content not less than 99,0 % (on anhydrous basis)
Description
White odourless crystals or crystalline powder

Identification

Melting range
151-152 °C (for adipic acid)
Solubility
Approximately 50 g/100 ml water (20 °C)
Test for sodium
Passes test

Purity criteria

Water content
Not more than 3 % (Karl Fischer)
Arsenic
Not more than 3 mg/kg
Lead
Not more than 2 mg/kg
Mercury
Not more than 1 mg/kg

Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012, Annex, E 356

Every name it appears under

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

E number

  • E356

CAS registry number

  • 7486-38-6

As it appears in regulation

  • Sodium adipate

Other names

  • 1,4-Butanedicarboxylic acid disodium salt
  • 3XG6T5KYKM
  • ADIPIC ACID, DISODIUM SALT
  • Adipic acid, sodium salt
  • di-sodium adipate
  • Disodium adipate
  • disodium;hexanedioate
  • Hexanedioate
  • Hexanedioic acid, disodium salt
  • Hexanedioic acid, sodium salt
  • Hexanedioic acid, sodium salt (1:2)
  • Hexanedioic acid, sodium salt (1:?)
  • INS NO.356
  • INS-356
  • Sodium adipate

Hazard reference values

Values set by assessing bodies. A body that has not set a value is not listed here.
TypeValuePopulationAssessed byOpinion
ADI5 mg/kg bw/day—JECFA1977

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 356?
E 356 is Sodium adipate. Sodium adipate is an acidity regulator permitted in the EU within the limits shared by adipic acid and its salts, chiefly in desserts, fillings and powdered drink mixes.
Where is Sodium adipate permitted?
Of the seven regulators this site reads, the EU and Great Britain 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 Sodium adipate vegan?
Yes. Sodium adipate is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.

Sources for this page

  • eu retrieved 2026-10-18
  • gb retrieved 2026-10-18
  • euspecs retrieved 2026-10-18

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

Machine-readable: a JSON record of this additive is given on request —how to ask for access.

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