Calcium ascorbate

Calcium ascorbate is the calcium salt of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), used as an antioxidant to prevent oxidative discolouration and rancidity in fats, oils, and fruit-based products. Unlike ascorbic acid itself, it is non-acidic, making it suitable for use in products where acidification would be undesirable — such as infant foods, capsule supplements, and certain dairy applications.

JECFA's ADI for calcium ascorbate is "not specified," first evaluated in 1974. This reflects the well-established safety of vitamin C compounds: the body metabolises ascorbate through normal pathways and excretes any excess renally. Because it also contributes a small amount of calcium, it is occasionally used in calcium-fortified products, though the amounts from food additive use are not nutritionally significant on their own.

Calcium ascorbate is approved in the EU, US (GRAS), UK, and globally, with no regulatory restrictions. It is considered one of the safest food additives available. Consumers with a rare predisposition to oxalate kidney stones should monitor total ascorbate intake from all sources, but at the concentrations used as a food additive, calcium ascorbate presents no concern for the general population. It is common in fruit preserves, beverages, and processed vegetable products.