Sodium methoxide
Sodium methoxideCAS 124-41-4
Sodium methoxide is the sodium salt of methanol. South Korea lists it as a processing aid, as a manufacturing agent. Japan also designates it (Appended Table 1, item 288).
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 | Permitted, with conditions | Designated additive: Appended Table 1, item 288, ナトリウムメトキシド（別名ナトリウムメチラート） (“Sodium Methoxide (Sodium Methylate)” in the unofficial English translation). …Designated additive: Appended Table 1, item 288, ナトリウムメトキシド（別名ナトリウムメチラート） (“Sodium Methoxide (Sodium Methylate)” in the unofficial English translation). Standards for use — Specifications and Standards for Foods, Food Additives, etc. (MHW Notification No. 370 of 1959), Part II (Food Additives), F (Standards for use), entry ナトリウムメトキシド: (1) [must be removed or broken down before the food is finished] “ナトリウムメトキシドは、最終食品の完成前にナトリウムメトキシドを分解し、これによって生成するメタノールを除去しなければならない。” The Japanese is the standard as published. There is no official English translation of the Notification; 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 for this additive, in the same Notification, are not imported and are not shown here; nor are the general rules in F 添加物一般, which apply to every additive. | Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act (MHW Ordinance No. 23 of 1948), Appended Table 1retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| South Korea | Permitted, with conditions | Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 2. …Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 2. 가공보조제 (processing aids), 메톡사이드나트륨 (“Sodium Methoxide”, the English the Code prints beside it). Main use (주용도) of 메톡사이드나트륨: 제조용제. Standard for use (사용기준) of 메톡사이드나트륨: (1) [may be used only for the purpose or in the food the sentence states; and a further sentence this site does not describe] “메톡사이드나트륨은 가공유지에 한하여 사용하여야 한다. 다만, 메톡사이드나트륨은 최종식품 완성 전에 분해하여야 하며, 분해물로 생성된 메틸알콜은 제거하여야 한다.” 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 | Not 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.
| Japan | — | 1 no quantity stated |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | — | 1 no quantity stated |
No regulator sets a figure for Sodium methoxide. That is not an absence of control: where the listing says quantum satis or good manufacturing practice, the quantity is limited to what the effect requires.
What it is made from
Made by chemical synthesis.
- Vegan status depends on the source
- Vegetarian status depends on the source
This is not an omission. What this additive is made from is not fixed — depending on the manufacturer it may be plant, animal or microbial in origin, nobody is required to say which, and the same product can change source between production runs. Ask the manufacturer if it matters to you; a label cannot answer it.
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
- CAS registry number
- 124-41-4
Every name it appears under
1 recorded name. A label may use any of them.
Other names
- Sodium methoxide
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 Sodium methoxide?
- Sodium methoxide is the sodium salt of methanol. South Korea lists it as a processing aid, as a manufacturing agent. Japan also designates it (Appended Table 1, item 288).
- Where is Sodium methoxide permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, Japan and South Korea 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 methoxide vegan?
- It depends on the source, and a label will not tell you. Sodium methoxide can be made from plant or animal material, manufacturers are not obliged to say which, and the same product can change between production runs. Anyone who needs to know has to ask the manufacturer.
Sources for this page
- jp retrieved 2026-10-18
- kr retrieved 2026-10-18
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