Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Potassium Sorbate
Potassium Sorbate is a flavoring substance, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2921 (CAS 590-00-1). Its odor is characteristic odor.
- FEMA
- 2921
- CAS
- 590-00-1
- Formula
- C6H7KO2
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 24634-61-5.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 2,4-Hexadienoic acid, potassium salt (1:1), 2,4-Hexadienoic acid, potassium salt, sorbistat potassium, sorbic acid potassium salt, bb powder, sorbic acid, potassium salt, sorbistat-potassium, potassium (2e,4e)-hexa-2,4-dienoate, sorbistat k, potassium (e,e)-hexa-2,4-dienoate, potassium (e,e)-2,4-hexadienoate, ins no.202.
Can Potassium Sorbate be labeled natural?
Nature makes Potassium Sorbate, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial Potassium Sorbate, same molecule. In the EU and UK the natural claim likewise needs the natural route, while Mercosur and Mexico keep a third class, identical-to-natural, for the synthetic material.
- United States
- Natural or artificial, by process
- European Union and UK
- Natural only from natural material
- Mercosur and Mexico
- Natural or identical-to-natural
How each market defines the classes: natural vs artificial flavor under 21 CFR 101.22.
Regulatory status, with citations
United States
Potassium Sorbate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2921. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 182.3640 and 21 CFR 182.90.
European Union and United Kingdom
No EU FL number is on file for Potassium Sorbate. That is not a finding either way. The Union List covers defined flavouring substances, so natural complex materials are handled as flavouring preparations under Parts B to F and never receive a number, and substances used as additives sit under Regulation 1333/2008 instead. Confirm the position before EU or UK use.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
Potassium Sorbate has not been evaluated by JECFA as a flavouring agent, or no evaluation is on file.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list. Listed on the EPA TSCA inventory.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Potassium Sorbate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 590-00-1, where EPA names it 2,4-Hexadienoic acid, potassium salt (1:1).
Active in US commerce
EPA designates this substance active, so no Notice of Activity Form B is required before manufacturing. What active and inactive mean.
EPA publishes no regulatory flags on this listing. What the flags mean.
From the EPA non-confidential TSCA Inventory, July 2026 release. EPA also maintains a confidential portion it does not publish. Search the Inventory by CAS number.
Odor and taste
Odor: Characteristic odor.
Where it is used
Typical applications for Potassium Sorbate are not on file yet.
Potassium Sorbate FAQ
Is Potassium Sorbate on the FEMA GRAS list?
It is. FEMA number 2921 covers Potassium Sorbate. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 182.3640 and 21 CFR 182.90.
What is the FEMA number for Potassium Sorbate?
The FEMA number for Potassium Sorbate is 2921 and its CAS registry number is 590-00-1.
What is Potassium Sorbate used for?
Potassium Sorbate is described as characteristic odor.
Is Potassium Sorbate natural or artificial?
The process decides for Potassium Sorbate. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic Potassium Sorbate is artificial. In the EU and UK the natural claim likewise needs the natural route, while Mercosur and Mexico keep a third class, identical-to-natural, for the synthetic material.
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Guides: What Is FEMA GRAS? · Natural vs artificial · Filing a GRAS notification
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Sources and attribution. The identity and regulatory facts on this page are taken from the FDA Substances Added to Food inventory, a US government record, which lists this substance as POTASSIUM SORBATE under CAS 24634-61-5 and carries its FEMA number and its 21 CFR citations. The inventory is searchable at FDA. FDA records its technical effect as antimicrobial agent, antioxidant, color or coloring adjunct, flavor enhancer, flavoring agent or adjuvant, nutrient supplement, ph control agent.
A FEMA GRAS conclusion is reached by the Expert Panel of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States, and the FEMA number names that conclusion. FEMA publishes its own entry for this substance in the FEMA Flavor Library, which is the authoritative record of what the Panel decided and is worth reading alongside this page.
Ambrose Compliance is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by FEMA. FEMA and FEMA GRAS are used here as identifiers for a published regulatory determination, not as marks of any relationship between FEMA and Ambrose.
About this page. Facts come from the FDA Substances Added to Food inventory, the Code of Federal Regulations, the EPA TSCA Inventory, the EU Union List, JECFA and the Ambrose database, with FEMA's published determination cited where it applies; parts of the text are written by Ambrose AI, which can make mistakes. Check the cited source before relying on anything here. This is not regulatory or legal advice.