Adipic acid
A naturally occurring organic acid used to add a mild tartness and regulate acidity in processed foods such as dessert mixes and soft drinks.
What is it?
Adipic acid is a six-carbon dicarboxylic acid found in small amounts in beetroot juice and other plants. The commercial form used in food is produced by chemical synthesis. It is a white crystalline powder with a mild, slightly tart flavour.
What does it do?
As an acidity regulator it lowers and stabilises the pH of a food product, which helps preserve texture and flavour over shelf life. As an acidulant it adds a clean, slightly sour note without the sharpness of citric acid, making it useful in powdered dessert and beverage mixes where a milder, more rounded tartness is preferred.
Where you will see it
Dry beverage mixes (instant drinks, powdered fruit squashes), gelatine-based dessert kits, baking powder blends, and some confectionery. On a UK label it appears as 'adipic acid' or 'E355'.
What the science says
General safety assessment
Adipic acid is metabolised in the body along the same pathways as fats, producing acetyl-CoA. EFSA reviewed it as part of its re-evaluation programme for food additives and concluded that, at the low levels used in food, dietary exposure does not raise any toxicological concern. No IARC carcinogen classification exists for adipic acid.
EFSA's Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources (ANS) concluded that adipic acid is metabolised normally and presents no toxicological concern at the levels used as a food additive.
Acceptable daily intake
The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) set an ADI of 5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day, based on animal feeding studies. At typical food-use levels the contribution to dietary intake sits well below that figure, though the precise exposure estimate depends on how many products a person consumes.
JECFA established an ADI of 5 mg/kg body weight/day for adipic acid based on no-observed-adverse-effect levels in animal studies.
Where it stands with the regulators
Who should be careful
No specific population group is known to need to avoid adipic acid at food-use levels. People managing conditions that require a controlled acid intake (such as certain kidney conditions) should discuss processed-food consumption with their doctor generally, not specifically because of E355. Look for 'adipic acid' or 'E355' on the ingredient list.
The honest read
Adipic acid is one of the most straightforward acidity regulators in the approved list. It occurs naturally in plant foods, is broken down by ordinary metabolic pathways, and has been in commercial food use for decades without generating a credible safety signal in human or animal research at food-relevant exposures. The science here is settled and unremarkable.
Related additives
Common questions
Is E355 banned in the UK?
No. Adipic acid is approved for use in the UK under the assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008 and appears on the FSA's approved-additives list.
Does adipic acid cause any known health effects?
No credible health concern has been identified at the levels used in food. JECFA set an ADI of 5 mg/kg body weight/day based on animal data, and typical dietary exposure from food products is considered to fall well below that level.
What foods contain E355?
Mainly dry powdered products such as instant drink mixes, gelatine-based dessert kits, baking powder, and some confectionery. It is less common than citric acid in everyday grocery items.
Is E355 vegan?
Yes. Commercial adipic acid is produced by chemical synthesis from petrochemical precursors and contains no animal-derived ingredients.
Sources
- UK FSA Approved Additives and E Numbers
- EU Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives
- JECFA monograph: Adipic acid
- EFSA ANS Panel re-evaluation programme for food additives
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