Potassium carbonates
Function: Acidity Regulator
E501 is the European food-additive number for Potassium carbonates, an acidity regulator — used to control and stabilise the pH of a food. Potassium carbonates (E501) is a stabiliser used as a food additive.
What is E501 used for?
Potassium carbonates (E501) is an acidity regulator — used to control and stabilise the pH of a food. It is added during food production for a technological purpose rather than for nutrition. See all acidity regulators (E-numbers).
Is E501 safe or restricted?
E501 is an approved food additive in the EU and currently carries no special regulatory restrictions in the EU additive register. Forkin classifies it as “No regulatory flags” and does not make health claims. See the methodology for how regulatory levels are assigned, or the guide to how EU additives are approved, re-evaluated and banned.
Is E501 vegan or vegetarian?
Potassium carbonates (E501) is typically produced from plant, mineral, or synthetic sources, so it is generally suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
The production source can vary between manufacturers — the Forkin app shows the verified vegan and vegetarian status per product. Always read the label for allergens.
Which foods contain E501?
E501 appears in 1,714 of the 4.7 million products in Forkin's catalogue — most often in instant noodles, milk chocolate and gingerbread.
- Instant Noodles289
- Milk Chocolate66
- Gingerbread64
- Chocolate Candy54
- Cakes48
- Cocoa Powder46
- Electrolyte / Sports Drink40
- Ground Coffee33
Often appears alongside
Additives most frequently found in the same ingredient lists as E501 across the catalogue.
Counts reflect Forkin's independently enriched product catalogue and update as new products are added — they are not a market-share statistic.
Frequently asked questions about E501
- What is E501?
- E501 is the E-number for Potassium carbonates, an acidity regulator — used to control and stabilise the pH of a food. Potassium carbonates (E501) is a stabiliser used as a food additive.
- What is E501 used for?
- Potassium carbonates (E501) is an acidity regulator — used to control and stabilise the pH of a food. Manufacturers add it during processing rather than for nutrition. The Forkin app shows which products in your scan history actually contain it.
- Which foods contain E501?
- E501 appears in 1,714 of the 4.7 million products in Forkin's catalogue — most often in instant noodles, milk chocolate and gingerbread. Scan any barcode with the Forkin app to see instantly whether a specific product contains it.
- Is E501 vegan or vegetarian?
- Potassium carbonates (E501) is typically produced from plant, mineral, or synthetic sources, so it is generally suitable for vegans and vegetarians. The Forkin app shows the verified vegan and vegetarian status per product, since the source can vary between manufacturers.
- Is E501 safe, and is it banned anywhere?
- E501 is an approved food additive in the EU and currently carries no special regulatory restrictions in the EU additive register. Forkin classifies it as "No regulatory flags" and does not make health claims — see the methodology page for how regulatory levels are assigned, and the Forkin app for the full profile, including acceptable daily intake (ADI) and restrictions by country.
See the full profile in Forkin
The Forkin app surfaces the full regulatory profile of E501 — acceptable daily intake (ADI), restrictions by country, vegan/vegetarian status, alternative names, and which products in your scan history contain it. See view pricing.