Zinc gluconate

CAS 4468-02-4

Listed as a nutrient supplement by the US.

Listed as nutrient supplements (US)
Chemical structure of Zinc gluconate, from PubChem compound 443445
Structure from PubChem CID 443445 (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 gluconate is a zinc fortificant used in supplements and fortified foods, and the zinc form used in cold lozenges.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Zinc gluconate 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 / EFSANo 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 BritainFood Standards Agency / Food Standards ScotlandNo 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.
JapanConsumer Affairs AgencyPermitted, with conditions
Designated additive: Appended Table 1, item 1, 亜鉛塩類(グルコン酸亜鉛及び硫酸亜鉛に限る。) (“Zinc Salts (limited to Zinc Gluconate and Zinc Sulfate)” in the unofficial English translation; listed member: Zinc Gluconate). …

Designated additive: Appended Table 1, item 1, 亜鉛塩類(グルコン酸亜鉛及び硫酸亜鉛に限る。) (“Zinc Salts (limited to Zinc Gluconate and Zinc Sulfate)” in the unofficial English translation; listed member: Zinc Gluconate). 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 グルコン酸亜鉛: (1) [may be used only in the foods stated] “グルコン酸亜鉛は、母乳代替食品並びに健康増進法に規定する特別用途表示の許可等に関する内閣府令(平成21年内閣府令第57号)第2条第1項第5号に規定する特定保健用食品(以下「特定保健用食品」という。)、健康増進法に規定する特別用途表示の許可等に関する内閣府令別表第三に掲げる総合栄養食品の許可区分に該当するものとして特別用途表示の許可又は承認を受けた食品及び栄養機能食品以外の食品に使用してはならない。” (2) [limits how much the food may contain] “グルコン酸亜鉛は、乳及び乳製品の成分規格等に関する命令別表の二 乳等の成分規格並びに製造、調理及び保存の方法の基準の部(五) 乳等の成分又は製造若しくは保存の方法に関するその他の規格又は基準の款(5)の規定による内閣総理大臣の承認を受けて使用する場合を除き、母乳代替食品を標準調乳濃度に調乳したとき、その1Lにつき、亜鉛として6.0mgを超える量を含有しないように使用しなければならない。” (3) [limits how much the food may contain] “グルコン酸亜鉛は、特定保健用食品又は栄養機能食品に使用するとき、当該食品の1日当たりの摂取目安量に含まれる亜鉛の量が15mgを超えないように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 KoreaMinistry of Food and Drug SafetyPermitted, with conditions
Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 3. …

Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 3. 영양강화제 (nutrient fortifiers), 글루콘산아연; nutrient: 아연(Zn). Standard for use (사용기준) of 글루콘산아연: (1) [to be used under the general standard for use in II. 2. 1), the minimum amount that achieves the technical effect, with no limit set for this additive in particular] “II. 2. 1)의 규정에 따라 사용하여야 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 StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted21 CFR 182.8988retrieved 2026-10-17
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.

Japan—1 no quantity stated
South Korea—1 no quantity stated
United States—1 no quantity stated

No regulator sets a figure for Zinc gluconate. 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 reacting a zinc salt with fermentation-derived gluconic acid.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian

Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.

CAS registry number
4468-02-4
InChIKey
WHMDKBIGKVEYHS-IYEMJOQQSA-L
PubChem
CID 443445

Every name it appears under

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

CAS registry number

  • 4468-02-4

As it appears in regulation

  • Zinc gluconate

Other names

  • Abelia Small Pet Otic
  • ANGELS EYES
  • Big Richard
  • Bis(D-gluconato-O1,O2) zinc
  • Black Spider-Libi Sting
  • Blue Scorpion
  • Clunia EasyDent
  • CLX Wipes
  • COLD EEZE
  • Cold-EEZE Cold Remedy
  • CutisClr7.0
  • CVS Health Cold Remedy
  • ERMIDRA
  • GoodSense Cherry Zinc Lozenges
  • Horny Rhino 66000
  • Horny Rhino 69000
  • Libi Xplode Male Sexual Enhancer
  • Maxi/Guard Oral Cleansing Gel
  • Maxi/Guard Oral Cleansing Wipes
  • MaxiGuard
  • MaxiGuard oral cleansing formula
  • Medique Cold Eeze
  • Medique ColdEeze
  • Mega Rhino 82000
  • Meijer Cold Therapy
  • NBE Cool Mint
  • OraZn
  • OticClrandClnz
  • Pegasus 21000
  • Pegasus Male Sexual Enhancer
  • Pegasus-Fire Desire
  • PlaqClnz
  • PlaqClnz Ez Wipes
  • Premier Value Zinc Cold Therapy
  • PV Ultra Zinc Cold Therapy
  • RHINO AFRODITA
  • RHINO DOUBLE HORN
  • RHINO DOUBLE HORN LIBI XX
  • Rhino Love 97000
  • Rhino Time 78000
  • Rhino Time 94000
  • Rite Aid Zinc Cold Therapy
  • Rubozine
  • SEXY MATADOR 17000
  • Target Zinc Cold Therapy
  • Thank you for Last Night
  • The Bee
  • TopCare Health Cold Remedy
  • TopCare Zinc Cold Remedy
  • U6WSN5SQ1Z
  • Ultra Zinc Cold Therapy
  • Walgreen Cold Therapy
  • Walgreen Zinc Cold Therapy
  • ZEBRA FANTASY RIDE
  • Zeuterin
  • Zinkgluconaat
  • Zn4.5 Otic
  • Zn4.5Otic
  • Zn7 Derm

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 Zinc gluconate?
Zinc gluconate is a zinc fortificant used in supplements and fortified foods, and the zinc form used in cold lozenges.
What is Zinc gluconate used for in food?
It is listed as a nutrient supplement — the role the US assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
Is Zinc gluconate banned in Europe?
No. Zinc gluconate is not on the EU's list of authorised food additives, but it would not be expected to be: every role regulators give it — nutrient supplement — the EU regulates under separate law. Its absence from the additives list says nothing about whether it is permitted in Europe.
Where is Zinc gluconate permitted?
Of the seven regulators this site reads, Japan, South Korea and the US 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 gluconate vegan?
Yes. Zinc gluconate is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.

Sources for this page

  • jp retrieved 2026-10-18
  • kr retrieved 2026-10-18
  • ecfr retrieved 2026-10-17

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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