E-numbers / Other additives / E501
also: Potassium carbonate · Potassium bicarbonate · Potash · Pearl ash
Potassium salts that help baked goods rise, darken cocoa and give ramen noodles their bite. Some low-salt products use them in place of baking soda.
Scan a barcode to check a food for potassium carbonates. NutraSafe Pro · £6.99/month · iOS
Wheat Flour, Sugar, Skimmed Milk Powder, Raising Agents (Potassium Bicarbonate, Calcium Phosphate, Glucona Delta Lactone), Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin
E501 covers two potassium salts: potassium carbonate and potassium bicarbonate.
1,002
of the 43,325 UK supermarket foods we checked declare E501 in their ingredients
That is 2.3%, counted by its code or its name.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
E501 covers two potassium salts: potassium carbonate and potassium bicarbonate. Both are alkaline white powders. Potassium carbonate was once made from wood ash, which is where the word potash comes from. Today both are made from potassium hydroxide and carbon dioxide.
Both make food less acidic. In baking, potassium bicarbonate releases gas when it meets acid or heat, so dough and batter rise. Potassium carbonate is used to treat cocoa, which darkens it, softens its bitterness and helps it dissolve. In noodles, especially Asian-style ones, it firms the dough and gives a chewy bite and yellow colour.
Cocoa powder and drinking chocolate labelled Dutch-process, biscuits and crackers where it replaces or tops up baking soda, Asian noodles such as ramen and wonton wrappers, some reduced-salt baked goods, some sweets, and some cheeses as a melting salt. Labels call it potassium carbonate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium hydrogen carbonate or E501.
Potassium is a mineral the body needs. The UK's nutrition advisers recommend 3500mg a day for adults, and most people eat less. E501 adds only a small amount next to the potassium in fruit, vegetables and dairy. No toxicity concern has been raised for these salts at additive levels in people with healthy kidneys.
European reviewers looked at potassium carbonates again in 2019, set no numerical daily limit, and raised no safety issue at the levels used in food.
UK advisers recommend 3500mg of potassium a day for adults. Most UK adults eat less, so the small extra from additives is not a concern for the general population.
Very high potassium can be harmful when the kidneys cannot get rid of it, a condition called hyperkalaemia. That is a concern for people with long-term kidney disease, not for most people. The amounts of potassium carbonate in ordinary servings do not come near the levels that matter even for that group.
People with long-term kidney disease, or taking certain medicines (ACE inhibitors, potassium-sparing diuretics), are advised to watch total potassium, and their doctors usually guide them on which foods to limit.
Daily limit. None set (European reviewers, 2019).
People with long-term kidney disease, or taking potassium-sparing diuretics or ACE inhibitors, are often told by their doctor to manage their total potassium, and potassium carbonate and bicarbonate add to it. Look for E501, potassium carbonate or potassium bicarbonate on the label.
Potassium carbonate and bicarbonate are among the most ordinary mineral salts in food. They have been used for centuries, they are on every major regulator's approved list, and the 2019 European review raised nothing for normal food use. The only people with a real reason to pay attention are those whose kidneys cannot control potassium, and for them it is part of watching potassium in general, not these additives in particular.
No. Potassium carbonates are approved in the UK and allowed in foods including cocoa products, baked goods and noodles.
It makes baked goods rise just as baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) does, but adds potassium instead of sodium. That makes it useful in reduced-salt products where makers want less sodium without losing the rise.
Dutch-process cocoa, drinking chocolate, some biscuits and crackers, some breads and rolls, Asian noodles such as ramen, and some processed cheese. Labels may call it potassium carbonate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium hydrogen carbonate or E501.
Yes. These are mineral salts with nothing from animals.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
It's the only app that does thisUKJaneK
You Need This AppGmac2005
Best AppGK getting skinny UK App Store reviews
NutraSafe reads the label and puts every additive into plain English, with the source, right in the app.
NutraSafe Pro · £6.99/month · iOS
