E-numbers / Other additives / E576
also: Sodium salt of gluconic acid
The sodium salt of gluconic acid, used to bind trace metals in food and stop discolouration or off-flavours forming during processing.
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Water, Blackcurrant Juice from Concentrate (7%), Acidity Regulator (Sodium Gluconate), Vitamin C, Extracts of Carrot and Hibiscus, Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame K), Acid (Malic Acid), Flavouring
Sodium gluconate is the sodium salt of gluconic acid, a naturally occurring acid found in fruit, honey and wine.
50
of the 43,325 UK supermarket foods we checked declare E576 in their ingredients
That is 0.1%, counted by its code or its name.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
Sodium gluconate is the sodium salt of gluconic acid, a naturally occurring acid found in fruit, honey and wine. Commercially it is made by fermenting glucose with Aspergillus niger or a related mould. It is a white crystalline powder that dissolves readily in water.
It acts as a sequestrant: it binds free metal ions such as iron, copper and calcium in a food system, preventing them from catalysing oxidation, discolouration or rancidity. It also has a mild buffering effect that helps stabilise pH during processing.
Most commonly found in bread and other baked goods, processed vegetables, tinned fish, dairy desserts, and some beverages where metal contamination from processing equipment could otherwise cause off-colours or off-flavours. On a label it appears as either 'sodium gluconate' or 'E576'.
Gluconate is a normal intermediate in human carbohydrate metabolism and is present naturally in many foods. When sodium gluconate is consumed, it is broken down to gluconic acid, which is metabolised via standard pathways or excreted in urine. No accumulation in tissues has been identified.
Gluconic acid and its salts are rapidly and completely metabolised in humans via normal carbohydrate pathways; no toxic metabolites are formed at dietary exposure levels.
Regulatory bodies that have reviewed gluconates have not set a numerical acceptable daily intake, concluding that intake from permitted food uses does not raise a toxicological concern. The substance has a long history of use in food and pharmaceutical manufacture.
The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) evaluated sodium gluconate and established 'not specified' as the ADI, meaning normal food use levels do not present a toxicological concern.
Sodium gluconate is authorised as a food additive in Great Britain and the EU under assimilated Regulation (EC) No. 1333/2008 Annex II, with no numerical maximum level set for most permitted uses.
No specific group needs to avoid this additive. People on sodium-restricted diets should be aware it contributes a small amount of sodium, but the amounts used as a sequestrant are typically very low. Look for 'sodium gluconate' or 'E576' on the label.
Sodium gluconate is one of the more unremarkable entries in the additive list. It is derived from glucose via fermentation, is chemically related to substances that appear naturally in fruit and honey, and is broken down by the same metabolic pathways that handle ordinary sugars. Regulatory reviews across multiple jurisdictions have not identified a toxicological concern at the levels used in food. There is no published body of research raising concern about it in food use.
No. Sodium gluconate is authorised for use in the UK under the assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008, as confirmed by the UK FSA regulated products register.
It does contain sodium, but the quantities used as a sequestrant in food are small, so the contribution to overall sodium intake is minor. People following a strict low-sodium diet who want to be thorough can look for it on the label as 'sodium gluconate' or 'E576'.
It turns up mainly in processed or canned foods where free metal ions from ingredients or equipment could cause discolouration or off-flavours: bread, processed vegetables, tinned fish, dairy desserts and some drinks. It is not a common additive in everyday supermarket products but appears where industrial processing requires it.
Yes. Sodium gluconate is produced by fermenting glucose using a fungus (Aspergillus niger) and contains no animal-derived ingredients.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
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