E-numbers / Acidity regulators / E575
also: GDL · Gluconolactone
A slow-acting acid made from glucose. It sets silken tofu smoothly, helps cure sausages and gives baking powder a steady rise.
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Water, Coconut Oil (24%), Starch, Modified Starch, Sea Salt, Acidity Regulator: Glucono-Delta-Lactone, Flavourings, Olive Extract, Vitamin B12
Glucono delta-lactone, often shortened to GDL, is made from gluconic acid, which comes from glucose.
107
of the 43,325 UK supermarket foods we checked declare E575 in their ingredients
That is 0.2%, counted by its code or its name.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
Glucono delta-lactone, often shortened to GDL, is made from gluconic acid, which comes from glucose. It occurs naturally in honey, fruit juice and wine. For food it is made by fermenting glucose with a mould, Aspergillus niger. In water it slowly turns into gluconic acid, releasing acidity bit by bit.
Its value is that it turns food acidic slowly and evenly. In tofu it makes soya milk set into a smooth curd, without the graininess of faster setting agents. In cured and fermented sausages it lowers acidity fast enough to hold back spoilage bacteria and keep the pink colour from curing salts. In baking powder and self-raising flour it reacts slowly with bicarbonate for a more even rise. In some cheeses and cream desserts it sets them gently at room temperature.
Silken and soft tofu, frankfurters and cooked sausages, fresh and cured pork products, sourdough-style bread, baking powder, some cream cheeses, low-fat spreads and some fruit fillings. UK labels call it glucono delta-lactone, glucono-delta-lactone or E575.
Once it turns into gluconic acid in the body, it is used through the same routes as glucose. Gluconic acid is in fruit and honey, and the body makes it too. Reviews have found no harm to organs, no cancer, no DNA damage and no effects on reproduction at the amounts in food. The WHO's cancer agency has not classified it.
Repeated-dose animal studies at doses well above anything food could supply found no harm, and standard tests found no DNA damage.
Gluconic acid and its salts are used by the body through normal carbohydrate routes, and the body also makes gluconic acid from glucose.
Every additive approved in the EU before January 2009 is being reviewed again. E575 is in the group for gluconic acid and related salts, E574 to E579. By 2024 reviewers had asked for data on this group, so their formal conclusion had not been published. No early warning has been announced.
European reviewers asked for data on gluconic acid (E574) and related additives including E575 to E579, as part of re-checking older additives.
Daily limit. None set.
No group is required by law to avoid it. People keeping acidic food down, for tooth erosion or acid reflux, may want to know it makes food more acidic. Look for glucono delta-lactone or E575 on the label.
Glucono delta-lactone is one of the simpler additives. It comes from glucose, breaks down into an acid the body already handles, and published reviews have not flagged any concern at the amounts in food. The European review now under way is routine, covering hundreds of older additives, not a response to a problem with this one. Its conclusion has not been published, so the final picture is not closed.
No. It is an approved additive in the UK and the EU, allowed in foods including meat products, tofu, baked goods and dairy.
Yes, as a routine matter. European reviewers are re-checking every additive approved before 2009. E575 is in the gluconic acid group (E574 to E579), for which they asked for scientific data in 2024. No early finding has been announced, and the formal conclusion had not been published by mid-2026.
Silken tofu, frankfurters and cooked sausages, baking powder, some cream cheeses and some fruit fillings. Labels call it glucono delta-lactone, glucono-delta-lactone or E575.
It is made by fermenting glucose with a mould, so it comes from plants and suits vegans. The foods it goes into, such as meat or dairy, may not be vegan.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
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