Phosphoric Acid(E338)
Level 4 — Significant concernsIn Winter's Dictionary3 sources
Phosphoric Acid is a acidulant — Colorless, odorless acid; sequestrant for fats/oils, acidulant and flavoring in soft drinks
What it does
Colorless, odorless acid; sequestrant for fats/oils, acidulant and flavoring in soft drinks
Where you'll see it
cola soft drinks, jellies, frozen dairy, bakery products, candy, cheese products, brewing
What the research says
Concentrated solutions irritating to skin and mucous membranes. Per Moss: phosphoric acid is part of cola's 'speedball' chemistry (sour + bitter caffeine + cold + fizz) masking 9 teaspoons of sugar per can.
[ultra-processed-people] Made by burning phosphorus-bearing rocks in an arc furnace with coal; also used in semiconductor processing and to modify road asphalt. In cola it produces extreme sourness that masks (and enables) huge sugar doses — part of the 'speedballing' of cold, fizz, bitter and sweet that lets nine teaspoons of sugar slip past the tongue. May leach minerals from bones and contributes to dental erosion.
[salt-sugar-fat] Provides Coke's 'bite' — the trigeminal sting that balances the heavy sugar load and keeps the drink from feeling cloying.
Regulatory status
- US FDA: GRAS
- EU: approved
Sources
- Salt Sugar Fat (Moss) — Chapter 4 (I Want to See a Lot of Body Bags): There's the bite of phosphoric acid, the tingle of the carbon dioxide
- Ultra-Processed People (van Tulleken) — Chapter 13: UPF tastes odd: the phosphoric acid in your food is not extracted from fruit or vegetables. It's made by burning phosphorus-containing rocks in an arc furnace with coal
- A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives (Winter): Used as an acidulant and flavoring in soft drinks