Sodium aluminium phosphate, basic
Sodium aluminium phosphate, basic · 541(ii)INS 541(ii)
Listed as an emulsifier, a thickener and an acidity regulator by Codex.
Listed as emulsifiers (Codex) · thickeners (Codex) · acidity regulators (Codex) · stabilisers (Codex) · emulsifying salts (Codex)
- Codex Alimentarius: Emulsifier — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 541(ii)
- Codex Alimentarius: Thickener — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 541(ii)
- Codex Alimentarius: Acidity regulator — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 541(ii)
- Codex Alimentarius: Stabilizer — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 541(ii)
- Codex Alimentarius: Emulsifying salt — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 541(ii)
Basic sodium aluminium phosphate is an emulsifying salt for processed cheese, letting it melt smoothly rather than separating into oil and curd. It is a different substance from the acidic form used in baking powder.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | 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. | ||
| 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 | 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 | 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), 염기성알루미늄인산나트륨 (“Sodium Aluminium Phosphate, Basic”, the English the Code prints beside it). Main use (주용도) of 염기성알루미늄인산나트륨: 산도조절제, 유화제. Standard for use (사용기준) of 염기성알루미늄인산나트륨: (1) [may be used only in the foods listed; sets a limit on the amount used] “염기성알루미늄인산나트륨은 아래의 식품에 한하여 사용하여야 한다. 염기성알루미늄인산나트륨의 사용량은 알루미늄으로서 1. 과자 및 이의 제조용 믹스, 빵류 및 이의 제조용 믹스, 튀김 제조용 믹스 : 0.1g/kg 이하(황산알루미늄칼륨, 황산알루미늄암모늄, 산성알루미늄인산나트륨과 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(ii)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.
| South Korea | — | 1 no quantity stated |
|---|---|---|
| Codex Alimentarius | 40 mg/kg – 1,600 mg/kg | 7 numeric limit |
What it is made from
Produced by reacting phosphoric acid with sodium and aluminium sources under alkaline conditions.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
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(ii) Sodium Aluminium Phosphate, Basic
An autogenous mixture of an alkaline sodium aluminium phosphate (approximately Na8Al2(OH)2(PO4)4) with about 30% dibasic sodium phosphate
Synonyms: Kasal; INS No. 541(ii)
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- Specification history
- Prepared at the 55 th JECFA (2000) 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).
- Assay
- Not less than 9.5% and mot more than 12.5% of Al2O3, on the ignited basis
- DESCRIPTION
- White, odourless powder
- FUNCTIONAL USES
- Emulsifier
- 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 10.0 ml of this solution into 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 Gooch 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 0.111 mg of Al2O3.
Identification
- Solubility (Vol. 4)
- Soluble in hydrochloric acid; the sodium phosphate moiety is soluble in water, whereas the sodium aluminium phosphate moiety is only sparingly soluble in water
- Test for sodium (Vol. 4)
- Passes test Test a 1 in 10 solution in dilute hydrochloric acid (1 in 2)
- Test for aluminium (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)
- Not more than 9% (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 4 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
2 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
INS number
- 541(ii)
Other names
- Sodium aluminium phosphate, basic
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 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 INS 541(ii)?
- INS 541(ii) is Sodium aluminium phosphate, basic. Basic sodium aluminium phosphate is an emulsifying salt for processed cheese, letting it melt smoothly rather than separating into oil and curd. It is a different substance from the acidic form used in baking powder.
- What is Sodium aluminium phosphate, basic used for in food?
- It is listed as an emulsifier, a thickener and an acidity regulator — the role Codex assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Where is Sodium aluminium phosphate, basic permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, 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, basic vegan?
- Yes. Sodium aluminium phosphate, basic is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.
Sources for this page
- kr retrieved 2026-10-18
- gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07
- jecfaspecs retrieved 2026-09-23
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