Carbonate, Sodium

Synonym(s): Sodium ash 
CAS Number: 497-19-8 
E Number: 500 
INS Number: 500

International Organisation 

Codex Alimentarius 

– Classification, Food Category, Functional Class and Recommended Usage are not available at this time. 

International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) 

– Classification, Food Category, Functional Class and Recommended Usage are not available at this time. 

FIVS 

Classification Category 2 – Naturally occurring in grapes and treatment residual in wine 

Recommended Usage 

Please refer to the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives’ (JECFA) “acceptable daily intake” (ADI) for recommended usage.

Usage in Winemaking: 

High acid, low pH must is best de-acidified with sodium carbonates. Sodium carbonates work by combining with tartaric acid to form potassium bitartrate. Sodium carbonates are also suited to raising wine pH after fermentation. A higher pH will: Balance an acidic wine Shift equilibrium to flavour tartrate stabilisation Encourage a malo-lactic fermentation to further deacidify the wine Adding bicarbonate can also shift the red spectrum of wine from red to purple, but only in small amounts.

See FIVS technical papers for more information - click here.