E260; Acetic Acid

(in 923 products)

1. Acidity Regulator / Buffering Agent - Changes or maintains the acidity or basicity of food/cosmetics.

2. Drug / Medicine - Treats, alleviates, cures, or prevents sickness. As officially declared by a governmental drug/medicine regulatory body

3. Exfoliant - Removes dead cells at the surface of the skin

4. Experimental / Patented - Relatively new ingredient with limited data available

5. Insecticide / Pesticide - Kills or inhibits unwanted organisms

6. Preservative - Prevents and inhibits the growth of unwanted microorganisms which may be harmful

7. Solvent (Cosmetics) - Enhances the properties of other ingredients

Acetic Acid is a synthetic carboxylic acid with antibacterial and antifungal properties. Although its mechanism of action is not fully known, undissociated acetic acid may enhance lipid solubility allowing increased fatty acid accumulation on the cell membrane or in other cell wall structures. Acetic acid, as a weak acid, can inhibit carbohydrate metabolism resulting in subsequent death of the organism.

Acetic acid is present in most fruits. It is produced by bacterial fermentation and thus present in all fermented products. In one of its most common form, vinegar is also used directly as a condiment, and in the pickling of vegetables and other foods to preserve food against bacteria and fungi. In mayonnaise it is added to increase the inactivation of Salmonella. In brewing it is used to reduce excess losses of carbohydrate from the germinated barley and to compensate for production variations, so producing a consistent quality beer. When used as food additive, it has a E number 260.

It can be found in beer, bread, cheese, chutney, horseradish cream, pickles, salad cream, brown sauce, fruit sauce, mint sauce and jelly and tinned baby food, sardines and tomatoes.

Acetic Acid is approved to use as food addictive in EU and generally recognized as safe food substance in the US.

1. PubChem: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/176

1. Association of Southeast Asian Nations Annex II, Prohibited

- [4-(4-Hydroxy-3-iodophenoxy)-3,5-diiodophenyl] acetic acid and its salts

2. US FDA Food Additives Status List [2018]

- Acetic acid

3. EU Approved Food Additive [2018]

- E260

4. Cosmetic Ingredient Review

- Acetic Acid

5. Japan’s List of Designated Food Additives under Article 10 of the Food Sanitation Act

- Acetic Acid, Glacial

6. CANADA Natural Health Products Ingredients Database [2018]

- Acetic acid

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7. WHO Model List of Essential Medicines [2019]

- acetic acid

8. US FDA Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) Food Substances (21 CFR 184) [2017]

- § 184.1005 - Acetic acid