E-numbers / Acidity regulators / E368

Ammonium fumarate

also: Ammonium salt of fumaric acid

The ammonium salt of fumaric acid, used as an acidity regulator. Not an authorised food additive in the UK or EU.

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E368Acidity regulator

Ammonium fumarate

E368 does not appear on the UK FSA or EU approved additives list.

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What ammonium fumarate is, what it does and where you will see it

Why it’s worth knowing. E368 does not appear on the UK FSA or EU approved additives list. Its presence in a UK food product would mean the product is not compliant with food additive law. It is not on the UK list of approved food additives, so you will not normally see this E number on a UK label.

What is it?

Ammonium fumarate is the ammonium salt of fumaric acid (E297). Fumaric acid is a naturally occurring organic acid found in many plants and formed in the human body during cellular energy metabolism. The ammonium salt is produced by neutralising fumaric acid with ammonia. Related salts, such as sodium fumarate (E365), potassium fumarate (E366), and calcium fumarate (E367), are authorised food additives, but ammonium fumarate carries a separate E number designation and does not appear on the authorised list.

What does it do?

As an acidity regulator, fumarate salts generally lower or buffer pH in food products, stabilising texture, flavour, and colour. In baked goods, fumarates act as leavening acids. Ammonium fumarate would function through the same mechanism as other fumarate salts, releasing fumarate ions that acidify or buffer the food matrix.

Where you will see it

Because E368 is not authorised for use in UK or EU food, it should not appear on any UK food label. If encountered, it would be listed as 'ammonium fumarate' or 'E368' in the ingredients list under current labelling rules. Fumarate salts as a class are used in bread, baked goods, confectionery, beverages, and processed foods, but only the authorised forms (E365, E366, E367) may be used in the UK.

What the science says

Fumaric acid and its salts: basic safety profile

Fumaric acid and its authorised salts (sodium, potassium, calcium fumarate) have been evaluated by EFSA and given an acceptable daily intake. Fumaric acid is a normal intermediate in human metabolism via the citric acid (Krebs) cycle, which means the body handles moderate dietary intake through established pathways. Ammonium fumarate would release the same fumarate ion, but it also delivers an ammonium load that the body processes via the urea cycle. At typical food-additive levels, this is not considered a distinct hazard, but the compound has not been formally assessed as a food additive by EFSA or the UK FSA.

EFSA evaluated fumaric acid (E297) and set a group acceptable daily intake of 6 mg/kg body weight per day covering fumaric acid and its calcium, sodium, and potassium salts. Ammonium fumarate was not included in this group evaluation.

2014Regulatory reviewEFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources (ANS), re-evaluation of fumaric acid (E 297)

Regulatory gap: no authorisation in UK, EU, or comparable jurisdictions

The EU and UK food additive systems operate on a positive list: an additive may only be used if it appears on the approved list with defined conditions of use. E368 (ammonium fumarate) does not appear in Annex II of EU Regulation 1333/2008 or on the UK FSA approved additives list. Checks against the US FDA regulations (21 CFR Parts 172 and 184) find no specific authorisation or GRAS affirmation for ammonium fumarate; the FDA authorises fumaric acid and several of its other salts but not the ammonium salt. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) similarly lists ammonium fumarate (INS 368) as not permitted. The Codex Alimentarius General Standard for Food Additives assigns INS 368 as a functional classification for the compound but carries no positive permitted-use provisions for it. The absence from all these positive lists means ammonium fumarate is not a permitted food additive in any major regulatory jurisdiction reviewed.

The UK FSA approved additives list does not include E368 ammonium fumarate. The EU positive list under Regulation 1333/2008 Annex II authorises sodium fumarate (E365), potassium fumarate (E366), and calcium fumarate (E367), but not the ammonium salt.

RegulatoryUK Food Standards Agency, Approved additives and E numbers; EU Regulation 1333/2008 Annex II

FSANZ lists ammonium fumarate (368) as not permitted under Australian food standards. No authorisation for ammonium fumarate was found in 21 CFR Parts 172 or 184 (US FDA direct food additives and GRAS affirmations); the FDA authorises fumaric acid and its calcium, ferrous, magnesium, potassium, and sodium salts, but not the ammonium salt.

RegulatoryFood Standards Australia New Zealand, Food additives numerical list; US FDA eCFR Title 21

Where it stands with the regulators

Not a permitted food additive in the UK or EU

Legal basis: UK FSA approved additives list and assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008 Annex II (positive list system). E368 does not appear in either list. Related fumarate salts E365, E366, and E367 are authorised separately.
Safe-intake limit (ADI): No ADI set for ammonium fumarate specifically. EFSA set a group ADI of 6 mg/kg body weight per day covering fumaric acid (E297) and its sodium, potassium, and calcium salts.
History: Ammonium fumarate carries the E368 designation in some food additive catalogues and classification schemes, including the Codex Alimentarius INS system (INS 368), but it has never been included on the EU or UK authorised food additives list. No EFSA opinion or UK FSA assessment has been published specifically for E368. The related compound fumaric acid and three of its salts were re-evaluated by EFSA in 2014 and remain authorised; ammonium fumarate was not part of that evaluation. Checks against US FDA regulations (21 CFR) and Food Standards Australia New Zealand confirm that ammonium fumarate is also not authorised as a food additive in those jurisdictions. The Codex GSFA assigns the compound a functional classification but carries no positive permitted-use provisions.

Who should be careful

Because E368 is not an authorised additive in the UK or EU, it should not be present in food sold here. Any product listing 'ammonium fumarate' or 'E368' in its ingredients should be treated as potentially non-compliant with UK food law. Report such products to the Food Standards Agency.

The honest read

E368 is an unusual entry: the compound is closely related to several authorised fumarate salts, and fumaric acid itself is a molecule the human body produces naturally. There is no published EFSA toxicological opinion on ammonium fumarate as a food additive, because it has never been submitted for authorisation. The absence from the approved list is the regulatory fact, not a toxicological verdict. The state of the evidence is not that it has been assessed and found wanting, but that it has not been formally assessed at all for food use in the UK or EU. Unlike the related fumarate salts (E365, E366, E367), ammonium fumarate is also absent from the US FDA's authorised food additive and GRAS lists, and is listed as not permitted by Food Standards Australia New Zealand, indicating a consistent picture across major regulatory frameworks.

Common questions about ammonium fumarate

Is E368 banned in the UK?

E368 is not banned as such, but it is not on the UK approved additives list. UK food additive law works on a positive list: only additives explicitly authorised may be used. Because E368 is not listed, it cannot lawfully be used as a food additive in the UK.

Why does E368 have an E number if it is not approved?

E numbers are a classification system used across Europe and beyond. Some E numbers appear in catalogues and reference databases without being authorised for food use in the UK or EU. Having an E number designation does not confirm that an additive is legally permitted.

What foods contain E368?

Because E368 is not an authorised food additive in the UK or EU, it should not appear in UK food products. If it does appear on an ingredients list, that product may not comply with food additive law.

Is E368 vegan?

Ammonium fumarate is a synthetic salt derived from fumaric acid and ammonia, with no animal-derived ingredients. It would be considered vegan in terms of composition, but the question of dietary suitability is secondary to the fact that it is not an authorised food additive in the UK.