E359 - ammonium adipate
What it is and how it is used
Ammonium adipate is a salt of adipic acid, the six-carbon diacid best known as a raw material for nylon. In food, adipates supply a clean, slow-dissolving sourness that lasts longer on the palate than citric acid, which is why they are useful in powdered drinks and gelatine desserts where the tartness needs to survive being stirred into water.
Three adipates are authorised in Great Britain — E 355 adipic acid, E 356 sodium adipate and E 357 potassium adipate. The ammonium salt is not among them.
Foods commonly containing it
None in Great Britain. The authorised adipates appear in powdered dessert and drink mixes, fillings and toppings.
Safety summary
Ammonium adipate (E 359) does not appear in the FSA Register of Food Additive Authorisations, the official list of additives authorised for the market in Great Britain, and it is not on the DHSC/FSA list of approved additives and E numbers. On the current GB list it is not an authorised food additive.
No GB or EFSA acceptable daily intake applies to this salt as a food additive.
If a UK product carries an adipate, it will be E 355, E 356 or E 357. Their authorisations are narrow — principally powdered dessert and drink preparations rather than general use.