Ammonium carbonates (E503)
- Food Caution
What is Ammonium carbonates (E503)?
Ammonium carbonates (E503), known as baker's ammonia, are raising agents used in crisp biscuits, crackers and gingerbread. They aren't harmful in themselves at normal amounts. The caution is that in some dry baked goods they increase acrylamide, a substance formed during baking that is linked to cancer in animals.
What is Yasno’s verdict on Ammonium carbonates?
Yasno’s verdict on Ammonium carbonates: Caution. Some evidence of a concern, it depends on the amount, or it is genuinely worth knowing. A Caution always has a specific, sourced reason.
Is Ammonium carbonates allowed in the EU?
EU status of Ammonium carbonates: Permitted as a food additive. Conditions and limits come from the regulation cited below. Yasno summarises them and does not replace the legal text.
| Where | EU | US |
|---|---|---|
| Food | Permitted as a food additive | Not recorded |
What else is it called?
- Ammonium bicarbonate
- Ammonium hydrogen carbonate
Sources
- EU Food Additives Register — POL-FAD-IMPORT-3203, European Commission (DG SANTE), 2011
- Ammonium carbonate, Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), 1982
- Acrylamide, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), 2015
Always check the physical label. Yasno describes evidence and regulatory status. It never says a product is free of an allergen or safe for you, and it is not medical advice.
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