YenzoWhat is E301 (sodium ascorbate)?
It is sodium ascorbate, the sodium salt of ascorbic acid (vitamin C, E300). Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT lists E301 as an antioxidant.
E301Sodium ascorbate
E301 is sodium ascorbate, the sodium salt of ascorbic acid (vitamin C, E300). In food it is an antioxidant, often used in processed meats such as sausages and ham.
- Code
- E301 · INS 301
- Group
- Antioxidant
- ADI
- ADI “not specified” (EFSA 2015) This means no numerical ADI is needed: by JECFA’s definition of the term, at the levels needed in food the substance does not represent a hazard to health. Vietnam’s Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT calls this an ADI “không xác định” (“not specified”, Article 3(6)).
In Vietnam✓ PermittedOn the list of permitted additives — Circular 24/2019, Appendix 1
Risk level on the Yenzo Scalevery low?Based on EFSA's scientific assessment, 2015
How E301 appears on labels
IngredientsIllustrative example
Wheat flour, vegetable oil, salt, sugar, antioxidant (301), dried onion and garlic, pepper, natural colour (160a).
antioxidant (301)antioxidant 301E301INS 301On Vietnamese labels: Natri ascorbat
Sodium ascorbate in food
Milk, cheese, cream
Fresh cut fruit
Processed vegetables
Flour
Noodles, pasta, cerealsProcessed meatFish and seafood, cannedInfant formula, foods for young children
Juices, fruit nectars
Questions about sodium ascorbate
Is sodium ascorbate harmful?
In 2015 EFSA re-evaluated ascorbic acid (E300), sodium ascorbate (E301) and calcium ascorbate (E302) and concluded that their use as food additives at the reported uses and use levels raises no safety concern, so no numerical ADI is needed.
Is INS 301 permitted in Vietnam?
Yes. Sodium ascorbate (INS 301) is listed in Appendix 1 of Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT, the list of additives permitted in food, with the function antioxidant.
Can children and pregnant women have E301?
Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT permits sodium ascorbate in follow-on formula for children aged 6–36 months at a maximum of 50 mg/kg (expressed as the acid, ready-to-eat products only), and in complementary foods for children up to 36 months at a maximum of 500 mg/kg (expressed as ascorbic acid). The text does not mention pregnant women separately.
Other antioxidants
E300Ascorbic acidvery lowE302Calcium ascorbatevery lowE304Fatty acid esters of ascorbic acidvery lowE306Tocopherol-rich extractvery lowE307Alpha-tocopherolvery lowE308Gamma-tocopherolvery low
See all antioxidants →Updated 22 October 2026