The E301 Supplement - What Do We Know About It?
Author: Karen Lennox
Time for reading: ~1
minutes
Last Updated:
August 08, 2022
Nutritional supplements containing "E's" have long been stigmatized, but not all of them are harmful.
Prejudices about food additives are far from unfounded - a number of preservatives and dyes have been shown to be carcinogenic and toxic. But should all "E's" be banned?
Beneath many of the "E's" are useful and harmless food supplements. Such is, for example, the ingredient E301. If E301 is found in the content of meat products, bakery products, margarine or mayonnaise, they should not be stigmatized as harmful and carcinogenic, because E301 is the common name in the food industry and chemistry for sodium ascorbate - a vitamin of the C family .
In bread production, sodium ascorbate is used as an antioxidant , regulating acidity and protecting the product from spoilage, while in the production of canned and sausage products, E301 prevents the change of nitrates and the appearance of a bitter taste.
Although obtained artificially by chemical synthesis, E301 is the sodium salt of ascorbic acid and is completely harmless in daily doses below 15 mg / kg. It is impossible to ingest more than this amount with food alone, even if the E301 content is slightly elevated.
E301 stimulates the immune system, participates in osteogenesis - bone formation and has a positive effect on metabolism, helping to absorb micronutrients from ingested foods. E301 can improve the condition of the skin, nails and hair - keratin formations, whose strength is supported by oxalic acid , which transforms excess sodium ascorbate.
However, oxalic acid also promotes the formation of kidney stones, which is why foods containing E301 should be limited or avoided by people with chronic kidney or urinary tract disease.
The food supplement is allowed in all developed countries and after numerous studies it has been proven harmless and hypoallergenic.
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