Origin
E 316 is the salt of Isoascorbic acid and is produced from this in a chemical process. This process yields a colorless powder that is highly soluble in water. The Isoascorbic acid synthesized for Sodium isoascorbate is identical to Vitamin C, ascorbic acid, thus possessing its properties but does not have vitaminizing effects.
Usage
The antioxidant E 316 is used with E 315. E 316 is only very limitedly permitted as an additive in foods. It can only be used as an antioxidant for heat-treated cream, dried or frozen fish products with red skin, canned fish products, and pickled and preserved meat products.
Risks
Sodium isoascorbate is considered completely harmless. No risks are known; however, animal experiments showed that the synthetic Isoascorbic acid can reduce the vitamin effect of natural ascorbic acid.