Nicotinic acid

Nicotinic acid — better known as niacin or vitamin B3 — is used as a food additive (E375) primarily as a colour stabiliser in certain meat products, where it maintains the bright red colour of fresh muscle tissue by converting myoglobin to a stable, bright-red form. It is also widely used as a nutritional supplement and as an enrichment ingredient in refined flour products, making it one of the few E-numbers that is simultaneously a food additive and an essential vitamin.

JECFA's ADI is "not specified" from a food additive safety perspective, reflecting niacin's status as an essential nutrient the body requires through well-established vitamin B pathways. At food additive concentrations, the amounts added are nutritionally modest. High-dose supplemental niacin (grams per day, far exceeding food additive levels) can cause skin flushing and at very high doses liver toxicity, but these effects are entirely irrelevant at food additive concentrations.

Nicotinic acid (E375) is approved in the EU and most global markets for specific applications. It is encountered primarily in meat products and enriched flour. From a food safety standpoint, niacin's presence in food is generally nutritionally beneficial — most populations obtain recommended intakes through diet. There are no health concerns at food additive use levels. Only very high-dose supplementation warrants medical supervision.