Sodium carbonates

Sodium carbonates are a group of inorganic sodium salts of carbonic acid, primarily including sodium carbonate (soda ash), sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), and sodium sesquicarbonate. As a food additive group (E500), they function as raising agents in baked goods, acidity regulators in processed foods, and anti-caking agents in powdered products. Sodium bicarbonate is by far the most familiar member, forming the active ingredient in baking powder.

JECFA evaluated sodium carbonates in 1975 and did not establish a numerical ADI, classifying them as not specified. Sodium carbonate and its relatives are normal constituents of body fluids and are efficiently handled by renal and metabolic regulation. The body''s bicarbonate buffering system uses these compounds continuously to maintain blood pH.

Sodium carbonates are approved universally — EU (E500), United States (GRAS), Japan, Korea, and all other markets globally. Their long history of unrestricted use in food, combined with their role as essential physiological buffers, makes them among the least controversial food additives. Individuals on sodium-restricted diets may wish to account for the sodium content, particularly from high-leavening applications, but for the general population sodium carbonates in food present no safety concern.