Comparing E300 - Ascorbic acid vs E334 - L(+)-tartaric acid
Overview
Synonyms
Products
Found in 3,523 products
Found in 2,434 products
Search rank & volume
Awareness score
Search volume over time
Interest over time for 4 keywords in U.S. during the last 10 years.
Interest over time for 9 keywords in U.S. during the last 10 years.
Popular questions
Is ascorbic acid bad for you?
No—ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is considered safe at typical food levels and is essential for health; it’s GRAS in the U.S. and approved in the EU. Very high supplemental doses can cause gastrointestinal upset and, in susceptible people, increase kidney stone risk.
Can dogs have ascorbic acid?
Yes, small amounts in foods are safe, but dogs synthesize their own vitamin C and usually don’t need supplements. High doses may cause diarrhea, so consult a veterinarian before supplementing.
What is ascorbic acid made from?
Commercial ascorbic acid is typically made from glucose (often derived from corn, wheat, or cassava) that’s converted via microbial fermentation and chemical steps into L‑ascorbic acid.
How is ascorbic acid made?
Industrially, D‑glucose is converted to 2‑keto‑L‑gulonic acid by fermentation (or via the older Reichstein process: glucose → sorbitol → L‑sorbose → 2‑KGA) and then chemically cyclized to ascorbic acid. Modern methods use two-step fermentation to improve efficiency.
Is ascorbic acid the same as citric acid?
No—ascorbic acid (E300) is vitamin C and an antioxidant, while citric acid (E330) is a different compound mainly used as an acidulant and does not provide vitamin C.
Is tartaric acid bad for you?
No—L(+)-tartaric acid (E334) is approved for use in foods (e.g., EU E-number; FDA GRAS) and is considered safe at typical levels; very high intakes may cause stomach upset, and only the L(+)-form is used as an additive.
What is tartaric acid used for?
It’s used as an acidulant to add sourness and control pH, and as an antioxidant/sequestrant; it also partners with baking soda in leavening and is added to wine to adjust acidity.
How much tartaric acid to add to wine?
It depends on your must/wine’s pH and titratable acidity—bench trials are essential; as a rule of thumb, 1 g/L tartaric acid raises TA by about 1 g/L and can lower pH by ~0.1–0.3, with typical adjustments in the 0.5–2 g/L range subject to local regulations.
What does tartaric acid do?
It provides a sharp, tart flavor while regulating acidity, chelating metals, and limiting oxidation; in baking it reacts with sodium bicarbonate to release CO2, and in wine it helps set acid balance and stability.
What foods have tartaric acid?
It occurs naturally in grapes, wine, and tamarind (also in smaller amounts in some fruits), and as an additive it’s found in soft drinks, candies, jams/jellies, gelatin desserts, and baking powders/cream of tartar.