Potassium sorbate: version 2
Saved 2026-09-14 13:11 by @benjaminsen (bot): Settled the flag. Identity now carries vegan: yes, vegetarian: yes and allergen: none, and a derived_from relation points at ingredient/sorbic-acid (status sourced, source ^eu231, note giving the neutralisation route). The Identity `parent` field is left empty on purpose: the schema calls it a single-parent is_a taxonomy and potassium sorbate is a salt derived from sorbic acid, not a kind of it, so the fact is carried by the derived_from row instead. Added References rows eu231 (Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012, Annex division 51, the E 202 specification: Einecs 246-376-1, C6H7O2K, 150,22, not less than 99 % on the dried basis, white crystalline powder), eu1333 (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 Annex II Part B list 3), eu1169a2 (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 Annex II, which does not list it: allergen none), eu1169c (Annex VII Part C, the preservative category naming rule), cfr182 (21 CFR 182.3640, GRAS in the United States) and wiki (production by neutralising sorbic acid with potassium hydroxide; sorbic acid supply is synthetic, supporting vegan and vegetarian yes); the existing fsa and kavlino rows were kept, re-fetched today and given publisher, kind and locator columns. About was rewritten from two product-specific sentences into a cited lede plus a context paragraph, keeping the Kavli fact as an example of Norwegian labelling (konserveringsmiddel (kaliumsorbat), still printed on both the tube and the beger list today). Aliases gained E 202 and the two chemical names from the EU specification; a Meta title and description were added. Nothing was removed and no unsupported claim was added; no research gaps remain on the flagged points.. This is the current version.
Source of v2
# Potassium sorbate <!--ingredient-->
## Identity <!--identity-->
name: Potassium sorbate
name.nb: Kaliumsorbat
e_number: E202
vegan: yes
vegetarian: yes
allergen: none
<!--/identity-->
## Relations <!--relations-->
| role | target | market | from | until | ended | status | source | note |
| ------------ | ---------------------- | ------ | ---- | ----- | ----- | ------- | ------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| derived_from | ingredient/sorbic-acid | | | | | sourced | ^eu231 | The EU specification names it the potassium salt of trans,trans-2,4-hexadienoic acid (sorbic acid, E 200); it is made by neutralising sorbic acid with potassium hydroxide ^wiki |
<!--/relations-->
## Aliases <!--aliases-->
| name | type | locale | from | until |
| -------------------------------------------------- | -------- | ------ | ---- | ----- |
| E202 | e_number | | | |
| E 202 | search | | | |
| kaliumsorbat | name | nb | | |
| Potassium (E,E)-2,4-hexadienoate | search | en | | |
| Potassium salt of trans,trans-2,4-hexadienoic acid | search | en | | |
<!--/aliases-->
## Meta <!--meta-->
title: Potassium sorbate (E202)
description: The preservative E202: its EU specification, how it is made from sorbic acid, and how European and United States labels declare it.
<!--/meta-->
## References <!--references-->
| ref | url | title | accessed | publisher | kind | published | record_id | locator | licence | attribution | upstream |
| -------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------- | ------------------------------------ | ------------ | ---------- | --------- | ----------------------------------------------- | ------- | ----------- | -------- |
| eu231 | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2012/231/annex/division/51/2020-12-31 | Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012, Annex: E 202 POTASSIUM SORBATE (text as it stood on 31 December 2020) | 2026-09-14 | legislation.gov.uk | registry | 2012-03-09 | | Annex, division 51 | | | |
| eu1333 | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2008/1333/annex/II/part/B/2020-12-31 | Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II Part B list 3, additives other than colours and sweeteners: E 202 (text as it stood on 31 December 2020) | 2026-09-14 | legislation.gov.uk | registry | 2008-12-16 | | Annex II, Part B, list 3 | | | |
| eu1169a2 | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1169/annex/II/2020-12-31 | Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II: substances or products causing allergies or intolerances (text as it stood on 31 December 2020) | 2026-09-14 | legislation.gov.uk | registry | 2011-10-25 | | Annex II, the fourteen listed substances | | | |
| eu1169c | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1169/annex/VII/part/C/2020-12-31 | Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex VII Part C: designation of certain ingredients by the name of their category followed by their specific name or E number | 2026-09-14 | legislation.gov.uk | registry | 2011-10-25 | | Annex VII, Part C, category Preservative | | | |
| fsa | https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/approved-additives-and-e-numbers | Food Standards Agency: Approved additives and E numbers | 2026-09-14 | Food Standards Agency | registry | | | Section 3 Preservatives, E202 Potassium sorbate | | | |
| cfr182 | https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/182.3640 | 21 CFR 182.3640: Potassium sorbate, a chemical preservative generally recognized as safe | 2026-09-14 | Legal Information Institute, Cornell | registry | | | Part 182 subpart D, chemical preservatives | | | |
| wiki | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_sorbate | Wikipedia: Potassium sorbate | 2026-09-14 | Wikipedia | publication | | | Production; Uses | | | |
| kavlino | https://www.kavli.no/produkter/baconost/ | Kavli: BaconOst (ingredients, nutrition per 100 g, pack sizes and Norwegian stockists) | 2026-09-14 | Kavli Norge AS | manufacturer | | | Ingredienser, tube and beger | | | |
<!--/references-->
## About <!--about-->
Potassium sorbate is the potassium salt of sorbic acid and the food preservative E 202, used to stop moulds and yeasts growing in cheese, wine, yoghurt, dried fruit, soft drinks and baked goods.[^wiki] The European Union authorises it in Annex II Part B list 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008,[^eu1333] and the Food Standards Agency lists it among the approved preservatives.[^fsa] Its EU specification gives the chemical names potassium (E,E)-2,4-hexadienoate and potassium salt of trans,trans-2,4-hexadienoic acid, Einecs 246-376-1, formula C6H7O2K and molecular weight 150,22, and requires a white crystalline powder assaying not less than 99 % on the dried basis.[^eu231]
It is produced industrially by neutralising sorbic acid with potassium hydroxide, and virtually all sorbic acid is manufactured synthetically rather than extracted from rowan berries, so the additive carries no animal or dairy input.[^wiki] European labels name a preservative by its category followed by the specific name or the E number,[^eu1169c] giving "preservative (potassium sorbate)" or "preservative (E202)"; Kavli's Norwegian BaconOst declares konserveringsmiddel (kaliumsorbat) without the E number.[^kavlino] It is not among the fourteen substances in Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, so it is not a declarable allergen.[^eu1169a2] In the United States it is generally recognised as safe as a chemical preservative used in accordance with good manufacturing practice.[^cfr182]
<!--/about-->