Sodium sorbate

Sodium sorbate is a preservative against moulds and yeasts, one of the sorbate family used in cheese, baked goods and drinks.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Sodium 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 182.3795retrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFANot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.

What it is made from

Made by neutralising sorbic acid, produced synthetically, with sodium. The potassium salt is far more common in practice because it keeps better.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
InChIKey
LROWVYNUWKVTCU-STWYSWDKSA-M
PubChem
CID 23665582

Every name it appears under

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

E number

  • E201

CAS registry number

  • 7757-81-5

As it appears in regulation

  • Sodium sorbate

Other names

  • (E,E)-2,4-HEXADIENOIC ACID SODIUM SALT
  • 2,4-Hexadienoic acid, sodium salt
  • 2,4-HEXADIENOIC ACID, SODIUM SALT (1:1), (2E,4E)-
  • 2,4-Hexadienoic acid, sodium salt, (2E,4E)-
  • 2,4-Hexadienoic acid, sodium salt, (E,E)-
  • C6H7NaO2
  • CCRIS 5163
  • HSDB 771
  • INS NO.201
  • INS-201
  • Sodium (E,E)-2,4-hexadienoate
  • Sodium (E,E)-hexa-2,4-dienoate
  • SODIUM .ALPHA.-TRANS-.GAMMA.-TRANS-SORBATE
  • Sodium 2,4-hexadienoate, (E,E)-
  • SODIUM SORBATE
  • sodium;(2E,4E)-hexa-2,4-dienoate
  • Sorban sodny
  • Sorbic acid, sodium salt
  • SORBICACIDSODIUMSALT
  • TGW6Q2CCVM

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 by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr 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/sodium-sorbate.json