E-numbers / Other additives / E510
also: Sal ammoniac · Salmiak · Ammonium muriate · NH4Cl
Ammonium chloride is not an authorised food additive in the UK or EU under Regulation 1333/2008 Annex II. It does not carry an E number entitlement in the UK-assimilated permitted list; the E510 designation originates from older classification work and still circulates in secondary sources, but the substance is absent from the current authorised-additives register. It appears in some Scandinavian salmiac products sold in the UK, where it functions as a flavouring component rather than as a listed Annex II additive.
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Wheat Flour, Palm Oil, Fresh Prawn, Corn Starch, Tapioca Starch, Sugar, lodized Salt, Seasoning [lodized Salt, Flavour Enhancer (E621)], Baking Powder [E500(ii), E510, E621]
This is not on the UK list of approved food additives, so you will not normally see this E number on a UK label.
4
of the 43,325 UK supermarket foods we checked declare E510 in their ingredients
That is under 0.1%, counted by its code or its name.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
Why it’s worth knowing. This is not on the UK list of approved food additives, so you will not normally see this E number on a UK label.
Ammonium chloride is the ammonium salt of hydrochloric acid. It is a white crystalline powder with a faint salty taste and occurs naturally as a mineral (sal ammoniac). In food use it is produced synthetically to a food-grade specification.
In baking, it provides a readily available nitrogen source that yeast metabolises during fermentation, boosting leavening activity and dough rise. As an acidity regulator it lowers pH slightly. In confectionery, particularly Scandinavian salmiac, it delivers the characteristic intense salty-bitter bite.
Most commonly found in Scandinavian salty liquorice (salmiac), where it is the defining flavour ingredient. It may appear on UK labels in imported salmiac products as 'ammonium chloride'; the E510 designation is not currently valid for UK food labelling purposes under the authorised-additives register.
Ammonium ions are a normal intermediate in the body's nitrogen metabolism and are converted to urea in the liver for excretion. At very high doses, well above any realistic food-additive exposure, excess ammonium can tax the urea cycle and raise blood ammonium. At the quantities present in food, this pathway handles the load without measurable effect.
The body routinely processes dietary ammonium nitrogen; the quantities contributed by ammonium chloride in food products are small relative to the ammonium released daily by normal protein digestion.
Ammonium chloride is used medically in large doses as a urinary acidifier and to treat metabolic alkalosis. At those pharmacological doses it can cause nausea, vomiting, and acidosis. These effects are entirely dose-dependent and are not relevant to the trace quantities found in food.
Clinical use of ammonium chloride as a urinary acidifier uses doses of several grams per day; adverse effects on acid-base balance appear at these pharmacological levels and have not been reported at food-exposure levels.
People on very low-sodium diets should be aware that ammonium chloride contributes to overall salt intake when consumed in volume, particularly via salmiac products. People with liver or kidney disease affecting nitrogen metabolism should seek medical guidance on high-intake salmiac consumption.
Ammonium chloride is widely cited online under the E510 label, but it does not appear in the current UK or EU authorised food additives register. The E510 designation circulates from older classification systems; the current Annex II permitted list skips from E509 to E511. The substance appears in some imported Scandinavian salmiac products sold in the UK, where it acts as a flavouring rather than as a registered Annex II additive.
No. Ammonium chloride (E510) is not listed in the UK-assimilated Annex II of Regulation 1333/2008. The authorised list runs from E509 (calcium chloride) to E511 (magnesium chloride) with no E510 entry. The UK Miscellaneous Food Additives Regulations 1995 also explicitly excluded ammonium chloride from the food-additive definition.
The distinctive intense salty-bitter flavour of Scandinavian salmiac comes directly from ammonium chloride. It is the defining ingredient, used as a flavouring component in these confectionery products.
Salmiac (Scandinavian salty liquorice) is the most commonly encountered product. It may also appear in some breads and crackers made outside the UK where different regulatory frameworks apply. On a UK label it would be declared as 'ammonium chloride'.
Yes. Ammonium chloride is a mineral-derived inorganic salt with no animal-origin ingredients.
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