E315 — Erythorbic acid
E315 (Erythorbic acid), a antioxidant, is rated "watch": fine in moderation. A mirror-image version of vitamin C. Used in cured meats to prevent oxidation and speed the curing reaction. Lacks vitamin C activity but is similarly safe.
What is Erythorbic acid?
A close chemical relative of vitamin C, structured as its mirror image. Used in cured meats, baked goods, and beverages as an antioxidant. Does not provide vitamin C activity in the body.
What does it do to the body?
Your body absorbs only a tiny fraction; the rest passes through. In cured meats it has a useful side effect: it blocks some of the nitrosamine formation that nitrites would otherwise drive.
What regulators say
EFSA and the FDA both treat it as a safe additive with no specific numerical limit.
Risk rating: Watch
Mixed evidence or a specific concern (gut, allergy, or contested safety data). Not alarming, but worth keeping an eye on rather than eating without limit.