E-numbers / Acidity regulators / E363
also: Butanedioic acid · Amber acid
A naturally occurring organic acid used to add mild tartness and balance flavour in soups, dessert mixes and powdered drinks.
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Succinic acid is a four-carbon dicarboxylic acid produced commercially by fermentation or chemical synthesis.
UK supermarket foods that declare E363: 3 of the 43,325 we checked (under 0.1%)
Counted by its code or its name in the ingredient list.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
Succinic acid is a four-carbon dicarboxylic acid produced commercially by fermentation or chemical synthesis. It occurs naturally in plant and animal tissue and is an intermediate in the citric acid (Krebs) cycle, the metabolic pathway all cells use to produce energy. The food-grade version is chemically identical to the form already present in the body.
It acts as an acidity regulator by lowering pH and buffering against pH swings in the finished product. It also contributes a mild, slightly astringent tartness that rounds out savoury or sweet flavours. At permitted levels it inhibits microbial growth modestly by lowering water activity and pH.
Permitted in soups and broths, dry dessert mixes, and powdered beverage mixes. It occasionally appears in flavouring preparations and some processed snack seasonings. On a UK label it appears as 'succinic acid' or 'E363'.
Succinic acid is produced by the human body continuously as part of normal energy metabolism. It is present at measurable levels in wine, cheese, beer, and many fermented foods without any added E-number designation. The amounts added to food as E363 are small relative to natural dietary intake from these sources.
Succinic acid is a well-characterised intermediate of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, present in all aerobic organisms. Natural food sources include wine, beer, and fermented dairy products.
Under rules that require all food additives authorised before 2009 to be re-evaluated, EFSA issued a call for data on succinic acid. This is a routine procedural step applied across hundreds of additives, not a signal that a specific concern has been identified. No adverse finding has been published from that process as of mid-2026.
EFSA issued a call for data on the re-evaluation of fumaric acid (E297) and succinic acid (E363) as part of the systematic re-evaluation programme for food additives permitted in the EU before 20 January 2009.
Neither EFSA nor the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) has set a numerical acceptable daily intake for succinic acid, reflecting the view that the additive's contribution to total intake is negligible relative to the body's own production and natural dietary sources.
No numerical ADI has been established for succinic acid by JECFA, given its endogenous nature and extensive presence in conventional foods.
No population group has been identified as needing to avoid succinic acid specifically. People managing conditions requiring strict control of dietary acid load should check with a clinician, but this additive does not carry a dedicated avoidance flag. Look for 'succinic acid' or 'E363' on the ingredients list.
Succinic acid sits at the quieter end of the food additive spectrum. It is a substance the body makes itself, present in ordinary fermented and plant foods, and used at modest levels in a narrow category of dry-mix products. The EFSA re-evaluation is a housekeeping exercise applied to every additive authorised before 2009, not a sign of a flagged problem. The science here is straightforward and there is no live controversy.
No. Succinic acid is approved for use in the UK under the retained version of EU Regulation 1333/2008 and appears on the FSA's approved-additives list.
EU rules require every food additive authorised before January 2009 to go through a systematic review by EFSA. This applies to hundreds of additives as a matter of process, not because a specific concern has been raised. No adverse finding for E363 has been published.
Succinic acid is permitted in soups and broths, dry dessert mixes, and powdered drink mixes. It is not a widely used additive and you are unlikely to encounter it outside those categories. It also occurs naturally in wine, beer, and fermented cheeses without any E-number label.
Yes. Food-grade succinic acid is produced by microbial fermentation or chemical synthesis and contains no animal-derived ingredients.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
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