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E260Preservative

Acetic acid

What the research shows

No concerns

none of the findings here link it to harm

A colourless liquid organic compound that is the active component of vinegar.

In the food industry it is used as an acidity regulator and as a condiment.12

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • EU permitted

What research says

Studies in people

  • Open question

    Blood sugar and fats3

    In people, acetic acid lowered blood sugar and blood fats in some studies, but results were mixed.

  • Benefit

    Blood sugar after meals5

    In people, acetic acid with cinnamon lowered blood sugar right after a rice meal, but not overall.

How it’s made and used

  • Diet quality link4

    In 141 adults using a food app, more acetic acid was linked to more protein and some vitamins.

  • Muscle cramps in athletes6

    Acetic acid is found in pickle juice and yellow mustard, which athletes use hoping to ease muscle cramps.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

Regulatory status

Checked Sep 2026

Status reflects the named register on the date checked. It is not a safety rating.

How we check

Products

The 6 most-scanned of 4,562 products on Open Food Facts that list acetic acid.

  • Sriracha Sauce Flying Goose Brand · 455 ml 5 additives
  • Real Mayonnaise Stokes · 345 g 1 additive
  • Sriracha Flying Goose Brand · 200 ml 5 additives
  • Geeta's Mango Chutney imp Geeta’s Foods Ltd · 320 g 1 additive
  • Sriracha sauce mayo Flying Goose Brand · 455 ml 6 additives
  • Bourn Vita 500Gram Pauch Cadbury 10 additives

References

  1. 1Acetic acid: ingredient taxonomy entry. Open Food Facts.
  2. 2Acetic acid. Wikipedia. Accessed September 26, 2026. CC BY-SA 4.0.
  3. 3Valdes DS, So D, Gill PA, Kellow NJ. Effect of Dietary Acetic Acid Supplementation on Plasma Glucose, Lipid Profiles, and Body Mass Index in Human Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2021;121(5):895-914. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2020.12.002
  4. 4Deguchi K, Yoshimoto J, Yamamoto-Wada R, et al. Associations of Acetic Acid Intake with Protein and Vitamin Intake Estimated via a Food Recording Application. Nutrients. 2024;16(17). doi:10.3390/nu16172977
  5. 5Mettler S, Schwarz I, Colombani PC. Additive postprandial blood glucose-attenuating and satiety-enhancing effect of cinnamon and acetic acid. Nutr Res. 2009;29(10):723-7. doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2009.10.002
  6. 6Hooper Marosek SE, Antharam V, Dowlatshahi K. Quantitative Analysis of the Acetic Acid Content in Substances Used by Athletes for the Possible Prevention and Alleviation of Exercise-Associated Muscle Cramps. J Strength Cond Res. 2020;34(6):1539-1546. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000003595