Sodium aluminium phosphate, acidic
7785-88-8 · E 541 · SALP · Sodium aluminium phosphate, acidic · SODIUM ALUMINIUM PHOSPHATES · E541 · 541(i) · Aluminum sodium phosphate · Sodium aluminium phosphate acidic · Fosfat acid de aluminiu și sodiu · Fosfat aċidu tal-sodju u l-aluminju · FOSFAT DE ALUMINIU ȘI SODIU, ACID · FOSFAT TAS-SODJU U TAL-ALUMINJU, AĊIDIKU · Fosfato acido di sodio e alluminio · FOSFATO ÁCIDO DE ALUMINIO Y SODIO · Fosfato ácido de alumínio e sódio · Fosfato ácido de sodio y aluminio · Fosforan glinowo-sodowy, kwaśny · Happeline naatriumalumiiniumfosfaat · HYDROGÉNFOSFOREČNAN HLINITO-SODNÝ, KYSLÝ · Hydrogénfosforečnan hlinitosodný · Kyselý fosforečnan sodno-hlinitý · NAATRIUMALUMIINIUMFOSFAAT · Natrij aluminijev fosfat, kiseli · NATRIJEV ALUMINIJEV FOSFAT, KISELI · natrijev aluminijev fosfat, kisli · Natrio aliuminio fosfatas, rūgštinis · Natriumalumiinifosfaatti, hapan · Natriumaluminiumfosfaat, zuur · Natriumaluminiumfosfat, surt · Natriumaluminiumphosphat, surt · Nātrija alumīnija skābais fosfāts · Phosphate d’aluminium sodique acide · Saures Natriumaluminiumphosphat · Savas nátrium-alumínium-foszfát · SKĀBAIS NĀTRIJA ALUMĪNIJA FOSFĀTS · Sodium aluminium phosphate acidic · Όξινο φωσφορικό αργιλιονάτριο · Натриевоалуминиев фосфат, киселE number E541INS 541(i)CAS 7785-88-8
Listed as an emulsifier and a raising agent by Codex and the US.
Listed as emulsifiers (US, Codex) · raising agents (US, Codex) · thickeners (Codex) · acidity regulators (Codex) · stabilisers (Codex) · humectants (US) · anticaking agents (US) · emulsifying salts (Codex) · texturisers (US)
- United States: Emulsifier or emulsifier salt — FDA, Substances Added to Food: SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE, ACIDIC OR BASIC
- Codex Alimentarius: Emulsifier — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 541(i)
- United States: Leavening agent — FDA, Substances Added to Food: SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE, ACIDIC OR BASIC
- Codex Alimentarius: Raising agent — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 541(i)
- Codex Alimentarius: Thickener — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 541(i)
- Codex Alimentarius: Acidity regulator — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 541(i)
- Codex Alimentarius: Stabilizer — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 541(i)
- United States: Humectant — FDA, Substances Added to Food: SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE, ACIDIC OR BASIC
- United States: Anticaking agent or free-flow agent — FDA, Substances Added to Food: SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE, ACIDIC OR BASIC
- Codex Alimentarius: Emulsifying salt — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 541(i)
- United States: Texturizer — FDA, Substances Added to Food: SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE, ACIDIC OR BASIC
Acidic sodium aluminium phosphate is a slow-acting raising agent used in self-raising flour, cake mixes and refrigerated doughs, where the rise needs to happen in the oven rather than in the bowl.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | Permitted | 1 food category no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice) | Food Standards Code, Schedule 15, S15—5, item 0.1, INS 541retrieved 2026-10-17 |
| Canada | No 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 Union | Permitted, with conditions | 1 food category highest permitted level 400 mg/kg ML = 400 mg/kg. only sponge cakes produced from contrasting coloured segments held together by jam or spreading jelly and encased by a flavoured sugar paste (the maximum limit applies only to the sponge part of the cake) Period of application: from 1 February 2014. Note 38: Expressed as aluminium. | Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II, as amended by (EU) No 380/2012retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| Great Britain | Permitted, with conditions | 1 food category highest permitted level 400 mg/kg or mg/l ML = 400. only sponge cakes produced from contrasting coloured segments held together by jam or spreading jelly and encased by a flavoured sugar paste (the maximum limit applies only to the sponge part of the cake) Period of application: from 1 February 2014. Note (38): Expressed as aluminium. | Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II (as at 28 June 2024)retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| 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 | Permitted, with conditions | Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 1. …Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 1. 일반식품첨가물 (general food additives), 산성알루미늄인산나트륨 (“Sodium Aluminium Phosphate, Acidic”, the English the Code prints beside it). Main use (주용도) of 산성알루미늄인산나트륨: 산도조절제, 팽창제. Standard for use (사용기준) of 산성알루미늄인산나트륨: (1) [may be used only in the foods listed; sets a limit on the amount used] “산성알루미늄인산나트륨은 아래의 식품에 한하여 사용하여야 한다. 산성알루미늄인산나트륨의 사용량은 알루미늄으로서 1. 과자 및 이의 제조용 믹스, 빵류 및 이의 제조용 믹스, 튀김 제조용 믹스 : 0.1g/kg 이하(황산알루미늄칼륨, 황산알루미늄암모늄, 염기성알루미늄인산나트륨과 병용할 때에는 알루미늄의 합계가 0.1g/kg 이하)” The Korean is the standard as published. There is no official English translation of the current Code (the English version on MFDS’s website is the 2020 edition and has no legal effect); the English in square brackets is this site’s description of what each sentence does, not a translation of the foods or the levels. Compositional specifications (Part IV) are not imported, nor are the general standards in Part II, which apply to every additive. | Standards and Specifications for Food Additives (식품첨가물의 기준 및 규격), MFDS Notification, Part III (Standards for use, by item)retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| 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 | 7 food categories highest permitted level 1,600 mg/kg Show every food category and its notes
| CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 541(i)and 6 further provisionsretrieved 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 | — | 1 GMP |
|---|---|---|
| European Union | 400 mg/kg | 1 numeric limit |
| Great Britain | 400 mg/kg | 1 numeric limit |
| South Korea | — | 1 no quantity stated |
| Codex Alimentarius | 40 mg/kg – 1,600 mg/kg | 7 numeric limit |
What it is made from
Made by reacting phosphoric acid with sodium and aluminium compounds. It is a source of dietary aluminium.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
- CAS registry number
- 7785-88-8
The two specifications, compared
The European Union sets identity and purity by regulation; JECFA publishes its own through FAO, advisory until a country adopts it. Both documents are below in full. These are the parameters each puts a number on.
| Parameter | European Union | JECFA |
|---|---|---|
| Assay | no less than 95 % | no less than 95 % |
| Lead | no more than 4 mg/kg | no more than 2 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | no more than 3 mg/kg | no more than 3 mg/kg |
| Mercury | no more than 1 mg/kg | — |
| Cadmium | no more than 1 mg/kg | — |
One parameter differs between the two documents. A difference is not a disagreement about safety: the two are revised on their own cycles, and an assay or a drying loss can be measured against a different preparation of the substance, which is why only the contaminant ceilings are marked. Within the EU the EU's figure is the one that binds.
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 541 Sodium aluminium phosphate, acidic
Synonyms: SALP
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- Einecs
- 232-090-4
- Chemical name
- Sodium trialuminium tetradecahydrogen octaphosphate tetrahydrate (A); Trisodium dialuminium pentadecahydrogen octaphosphate (B)
- Chemical formula
- NaAl₃H₁₄(PO₄)₈ · 4H₂O (A) Na₃Al₂H₁₅(PO₄)₈ (B)
- Molecular weight
- 949,88 (A) 897,82 (B)
- Assay
- Content not less than 95,0 % (both forms)
- Description
- White odourless powder
Identification
- Test for sodium
- Passes test
- Test for aluminium
- Passes test
- Test for phosphate
- Passes test
- pH
- Acid to litmus
- Solubility
- Insoluble in water. Soluble in hydrochloric acid
Purity criteria
- Loss on ignition
- 19,5-21,0 % (A) (750-800 °C, 2 hours) 15-16 % (B) (750-800 °C, 2 hours)
- Fluoride
- Not more than 25 mg/kg
- Arsenic
- Not more than 3 mg/kg
- Lead
- Not more than 4 mg/kg
- Cadmium
- Not more than 1 mg/kg
- Mercury
- Not more than 1 mg/kg
How JECFA defines it
The international specification for identity and purity, prepared by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives and published by FAO. It is a different document from any above, written by a different body and revised on its own cycle; it is advisory, and a country adopts it or does not.
INS 541(i) Sodium Aluminium Phosphate, Acidic
Synonyms: SALP; INS No. 541(i)
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- Specification history
- Prepared at the 61 st JECFA (2003) and published in the Combined Compendium of Food Additive Specifications, FAO JECFA Monographs 1 (2005). A PTWI of 2 mg/kg bw for aluminium was established at the 74 th JECFA (2011).
- Chemical names
- Sodium trialuminium tetradecahydrogen octaphosphate tetrahydrate; trisodium dialuminium pentadecahydrogen octaphosphate
- Chemical formula
- NaAl3H14(PO4)8 · 4H2O Na3Al2H15(PO4)8
- Formula weight
- NaAl3H14(PO4)8 · 4H2O: 949.88 Na3Al2H15(PO4)8: 897.82
- Assay
- Not less than 95% of NaAl3H14(PO4)8 · 4H2O or not less than 95% of Na3Al2H15(PO4)8
- DESCRIPTION
- White, odourless powder
- FUNCTIONAL USES
- Raising agent
- METHOD OF ASSAY
- Transfer about 2.5 g of the sample, accurately weighed, into a 250-ml volumetric flask, add 15 ml of hydrochloric acid and one glass bead, and boil gently for about 5 min. Cool, dilute to volume with water, and mix. Transfer 10 ml of this solution to a 250-ml beaker, add phenolphthalein TS, and neutralize with ammonia TS. Add dilute hydrochloric acid (1 in 2) until the precipitate just dissolves, then dilute to 100 ml with water, and heat to 70-80°. Add 10 ml of 8-hydroxyquinoline TS and sufficient ammonium acetate TS until a yellow precipitate forms, then add 30 ml in excess. Digest at 70° for 30 min, filter through a previously dried and weighed crucible, and wash thoroughly with hot water. Dry at 105° for 2 h, cool, and weigh. Each mg of the precipitate so obtained corresponds to 0.689 mg of NaAl3H14(PO4)8 · 4H2O, or to 0.977 mg of Na3Al2H15(PO4)8.
Identification
- Solubility (Vol. 4)
- Insoluble in water; soluble in hydrochloric acid
- pH (Vol. 4)
- Acid to litmus
- Test for aluminium (Vol. 4)
- Passes test Test a 1 in 10 solution in dilute hydrochloric acid (1 in 2)
- Test for sodium (Vol. 4)
- Passes test Test a 1 in 10 solution in dilute hydrochloric acid (1 in 2)
- Test for phosphate (Vol. 4)
- Passes test Test a 1 in 10 solution in dilute hydrochloric acid (1 in 2)
Purity criteria
- Loss on ignition (Vol. 4)
- NaAl3H14(PO4)8 · 4H2O: 19.5 - 21% (750-800°, 2 h) Na3Al2H15(PO4)8 : 15 - 16% (750-800°, 2 h)
- Fluoride (Vol. 4)
- Not more than 25 mg/kg (Method I)
- Arsenic (Vol. 4)
- Not more than 3 mg/kg (Method II)
- Lead (Vol. 4)
- Not more than 2 mg/kg Determine using an AAS/ICP-AES technique appropriate to the specified level. The selection of sample size and method of sample preparation may be based on the principles of the methods described in Volume 4 (under “General Methods, Metallic Impurities”).
Every name it appears under
39 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
E number
- E541
INS number
- 541(i)
CAS registry number
- 7785-88-8
As it appears in regulation
- Sodium aluminium phosphate acidic
Other names
- E 541
- SALP
- Sodium aluminium phosphate, acidic
- SODIUM ALUMINIUM PHOSPHATES
Systematic names
- Aluminum sodium phosphate
Hazard reference values
No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.
Evidence and how bodies read it
What assessing bodies concluded
Each conclusion is paraphrased in the body's own framing, from the published opinion linked beneath it. Where bodies differ, both stand; this site does not adjudicate between them or add a view of its own.
EFSA 2018
The ANS Panel concluded that aluminium sulphates (E 520–E 523) and acidic sodium aluminium phosphate (E 541), which are permitted in only a few specific products with exposure probably near zero, are of no safety concern at current authorised uses and use levels.
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 541?
- E 541 is Sodium aluminium phosphate, acidic. Acidic sodium aluminium phosphate is a slow-acting raising agent used in self-raising flour, cake mixes and refrigerated doughs, where the rise needs to happen in the oven rather than in the bowl.
- What is Sodium aluminium phosphate, acidic used for in food?
- It is listed as an emulsifier and a raising agent — the role Codex and the US assign it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Where is Sodium aluminium phosphate, acidic permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, Australia and New Zealand, the EU, Great Britain, South Korea 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 Sodium aluminium phosphate, acidic vegan?
- Yes. Sodium aluminium phosphate, acidic 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
- eu retrieved 2026-10-18
- gb retrieved 2026-10-18
- kr retrieved 2026-10-18
- gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07
- euspecs retrieved 2026-10-18
- jecfaspecs retrieved 2026-09-23
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