Tartaric acid (E334)

Names on a label

• E334
• E 334
• Tartaric acid

Labels outside Europe often print the number on its own, without the E.

What it’s used for

The FDA lists these uses in food: anticaking agent or free-flow agent; drying agent; firming agent; flavor enhancer; flavoring agent or adjuvant; humectant; leavening agent; ph control agent.¹

What regulators and scientists say

• EFSA set an acceptable daily intake of 240 mg per kilogram of body weight per day (January 29, 2020). For a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, that’s about 16.8 g a day.²
• The FDA lists it as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for its intended use in food (21 CFR 184.1099).¹

An acceptable daily intake is, in EFSA’s words, “an estimate of the amount of a substance in food or drinking water that can be consumed daily over a lifetime without presenting an appreciable risk to health.”³