Zinc acetate

E number E650CAS 557-34-6

Chemical structure of Zinc acetate, from PubChem compound 11192
Structure from PubChem CID 11192 (National Library of Medicine, public domain). A depiction of one compound: where a listing covers a family, or a substance has no single structure, this page shows none.

Zinc acetate is permitted in the EU only in chewing gum, where it is listed as a flavour enhancer.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Zinc acetate by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
Australia and New ZealandFood Standards Australia New ZealandNo 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.
CanadaHealth CanadaNo 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 UnionEuropean Commission / EFSAPermitted, with conditions

1 food category

highest permitted level 1,000 mg/kg

ML = 1000 mg/kg.

Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II, as amended by (EU) No 1129/2011retrieved 2026-10-18
Great BritainFood Standards Agency / Food Standards ScotlandPermitted, with conditions

1 food category

highest permitted level 1,000 mg/kg or mg/l

ML = 1000.

Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II (as at 28 June 2024)retrieved 2026-10-18
JapanConsumer Affairs AgencyNo 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 KoreaMinistry of Food and Drug SafetyNo 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 StatesFood and Drug AdministrationNot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFANot 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.

European Union1,000 mg/kg1 numeric limit
Great Britain1,000 mg/kg1 numeric limit

What FDA’s inventory records

This page holds no listing for Zinc acetate in the parts of 21 CFR this site reads. FDA’s Substances Added to Food inventory does carry it, as ZINC ACETATE, pointing at a food-contact regulation, not a listing for use in food: 21 CFR 175.105.

The inventory is an information resource: a row means FDA holds information about the substance’s use in food, not that the substance is listed for that use. It is shown apart from the permissions above and is not counted as a US permission anywhere on this site.

What it is made from

Made by reacting zinc oxide with acetic acid.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian

Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.

CAS registry number
557-34-6
InChIKey
DJWUNCQRNNEAKC-UHFFFAOYSA-L
PubChem
CID 11192

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 650 Zinc acetate

Synonyms: Acetic acid, zinc salt, dihydrate

Assay, identification and purity criteria

Description and assay

Chemical name
Zinc acetate dihydrate
Chemical formula
C₄H₆O₄ Zn · 2H₂O
Molecular weight
219,51
Assay
Content not less than 98 % and not more than 102 % of C₄H₆O₄ Zn · 2H₂O
Description
Colourless crystals or fine, off-white powder

Identification

Test for acetate
Passes test
Test for zinc
Passes test
pH
Between 6,0 and 8,0 (5 % solution)

Purity criteria

Water insoluble matter
Not more than 0,005 %
Chlorides
Not more than 50 mg/kg
Sulphates
Not more than 100 mg/kg
Alkalines and alkaline earths
Not more than 0,2 %
Organic volatile impurities
Passes test
Iron
Not more than 50 mg/kg
Arsenic
Not more than 3 mg/kg
Lead
Not more than 20 mg/kg
Cadmium
Not more than 5 mg/kg

Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012, Annex, E 650

Every name it appears under

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

E number

  • E650

CAS registry number

  • 557-34-6
  • 82279-57-0

As it appears in regulation

  • Zinc acetate

Other names

  • Acetic acid, zinc salt
  • Acetic acid, zinc salt (2:1)
  • Acetic Acid, Zinc Salt, Dihydrate
  • Acetic acid, zinc(II) salt
  • Advanced Jellyfish Sting Kit
  • Anhydrous Zinc Acetate
  • CAS-557-34-6
  • CCRIS 3346
  • CCRIS 3471
  • cetic acid, zinc salt (8CI,9CI); Zinc acetate (6CI,7CI); Galzin; Siltex CL 4; Zinc diacetate; Zinc(II) acetate
  • DIABETIC SKIN CARE FORMULA
  • Diacetic acid zinc salt
  • Dicarbomethoxyzinc
  • Excelderma
  • Galzin
  • H2ZEY72PME
  • HSDB 1043
  • I.C. Ivy Block
  • Ivymed
  • NANO-DTPA CAPSULE COMPONENT ZINC ACETATE
  • NANODTPA COMPONENT ZINC ACETATE
  • NANODTPA ZN-DTPA COMPONENT ZINC ACETATE
  • Neat 3B Bodysaver
  • Neat 3B Senior B
  • Npc-02
  • Senior B
  • Siltex CL 4
  • Staphwash Plus
  • Stingmed
  • Venomx
  • Wilzin
  • Wound Cream
  • Zn(CH3COO)2
  • Zn(OAc)2

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 E 650?
E 650 is Zinc acetate. Zinc acetate is permitted in the EU only in chewing gum, where it is listed as a flavour enhancer.
Where is Zinc acetate permitted?
Of the seven regulators this site reads, the EU and Great Britain 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 Zinc acetate vegan?
Yes. Zinc acetate is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.

Sources for this page

  • eu retrieved 2026-10-18
  • gb retrieved 2026-10-18
  • euspecs retrieved 2026-10-18

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable: a JSON record of this additive is given on request —how to ask for access.

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