What Is Sodium Erythorbate?
USDA rules at 9 CFR 424.21 allow sodium erythorbate to accelerate color fixing or preserve color during storage in cured pork and beef cuts, cured comminuted meat food products and cured comminuted poultry products. A 2025 review in Foods says synthetic curing accelerators such as sodium ascorbate and erythorbate have long been used in meat processing because they help reduce nitrite to nitric oxide, which binds to heme pigments to form the cured color, and provide antioxidant protection.
A 2025 review in Foods describes erythorbate as a stereoisomer of ascorbate, and lists sodium nitrite, ascorbate and erythorbate, and phosphate as major synthetic additives in meat products. FDA regulations at 21 CFR 182.3041 list erythorbic acid as generally recognized as safe when used in accordance with good manufacturing practice.
Sources checked September 15, 2026. Every point below links the page it came from.
The sources behind this answer
- Regulatory filingUSDA rules allow sodium erythorbate to accelerate color fixing or preserve color in cured pork and beef cuts and cured ground meat and poultry products. USDA, 9 CFR 424.21 (eCFR) ↗
- StudyA 2025 review says curing accelerators such as erythorbate help reduce nitrite to nitric oxide, forming cured meat color, and act as antioxidants. Foods, via PubMed Central ↗
- StudyA 2025 review describes erythorbate as a stereoisomer of ascorbate and lists it among major synthetic additives in meat products. Foods, via PubMed Central ↗
- Regulatory filingFDA regulations list erythorbic acid as generally recognized as safe when used in accordance with good manufacturing practice. US FDA, 21 CFR 182.3041 (eCFR) ↗
Sources checked September 15, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.