Sodium trimetaphosphate
7785-84-4 · 1,3,5,2,4,6-Trioxatriphosphorinane, 2,4,6-trihydroxy-, trisodium salt · 3,5,2,4,6-Trioxatriphosphorinane,2,4,6-trihydroxy-trisodiumsalt · CCRIS 8524 · Cyclic sodium trimetaphosphate · Cyclisches trinatriummetaphosphat · Detoxol · HSDB 5048 · Metaphosphoric acid (H3P3O9), sodium salt (1:3) · Metaphosphoric acid (H3P3O9), trisodium salt · Metaphosphoric acid, trisodium salt · sodium 1,3,5,2,4,6-trioxatriphosphinane-2,4,6-tris(olate) 2,4,6-trioxide · Sodium metaphosphate (Na3(P3O9)) · Sodium phosphate ((NaPO3)3) · Sodium phosphate tribasic · Sodium Trimetaphosphate · Sodium trimetaphosphate (USAN) · Sodiumtrimetaphosphate · trimetaphosphate grade iii trisodium · Trimetaphosphoric acid (H3P3O9), trisodium salt · Trisodium metaphosphate · Trisodium trimetaphosphate · Trisodium trimetaphosphate (Na3P3O9) · Trisodium 2,4,6-trioxo-1,3,5,2lambda~5~,4lambda~5~,6lambda~5~-trioxatriphosphinane-2,4,6-tris(olate) · trisodium;2,4,6-trioxido-1,3,5,2lambda5,4lambda5,6lambda5-trioxatriphosphinane 2,4,6-trioxideListed as a starch-modifying agent by Canada.
Listed as starch-modifying agents (CA)
- Canada: Starch-modifying agent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Starch-Modifying Agents (List 13)
A cyclic phosphate of three units, used as a cross-linking reagent for starch and as a sequestrant.
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 | Permitted, with conditions | highest permitted level 400 mg/kg In: Starch used in the manufacture of modified starch. Purpose: Starch-modifying agent. Limit: 400 ppm, calculated as phosphorus. | Health Canada, List of Permitted Starch-Modifying Agents (List 13), item S.8retrieved 2026-10-17 |
| 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 | No 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 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.
| Canada | 400 mg/kg | 1 numeric limit |
|---|
What it is made from
Made by heating sodium dihydrogen phosphate, which condenses into the three-membered ring.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
- InChIKey
- UGTZMIPZNRIWHX-UHFFFAOYSA-K
- PubChem
- CID 24579
Every name it appears under
25 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
CAS registry number
- 7785-84-4
Other names
- 1,3,5,2,4,6-Trioxatriphosphorinane, 2,4,6-trihydroxy-, trisodium salt
- 3,5,2,4,6-Trioxatriphosphorinane,2,4,6-trihydroxy-trisodiumsalt
- CCRIS 8524
- Cyclic sodium trimetaphosphate
- Cyclisches trinatriummetaphosphat
- Detoxol
- HSDB 5048
- Metaphosphoric acid (H3P3O9), sodium salt (1:3)
- Metaphosphoric acid (H3P3O9), trisodium salt
- Metaphosphoric acid, trisodium salt
- sodium 1,3,5,2,4,6-trioxatriphosphinane-2,4,6-tris(olate) 2,4,6-trioxide
- Sodium metaphosphate (Na3(P3O9))
- Sodium phosphate ((NaPO3)3)
- Sodium phosphate tribasic
- Sodium Trimetaphosphate
- Sodium trimetaphosphate (USAN)
- Sodiumtrimetaphosphate
- trimetaphosphate grade iii trisodium
- Trimetaphosphoric acid (H3P3O9), trisodium salt
- Trisodium metaphosphate
- Trisodium trimetaphosphate
- Trisodium trimetaphosphate (Na3P3O9)
Systematic names
- Trisodium 2,4,6-trioxo-1,3,5,2lambda~5~,4lambda~5~,6lambda~5~-trioxatriphosphinane-2,4,6-tris(olate)
- trisodium;2,4,6-trioxido-1,3,5,2lambda5,4lambda5,6lambda5-trioxatriphosphinane 2,4,6-trioxide
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 trimetaphosphate?
- A cyclic phosphate of three units, used as a cross-linking reagent for starch and as a sequestrant.
- What is Sodium trimetaphosphate used for in food?
- It is listed as a starch-modifying agent — the role Canada assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Where is Sodium trimetaphosphate permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, Canada permits 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 trimetaphosphate vegan?
- Yes. Sodium trimetaphosphate is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.
Sources for this page
- ca retrieved 2026-10-17
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