Tribasic Calcium Phosphate

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Tribasic calcium phosphate (tricalcium phosphate, Ca3(PO4)2) is an inorganic calcium salt of phosphoric acid used in food as an anticaking agent, acidity regulator, and calcium/phosphorus nutrient supplement. It is a white, odorless, tasteless powder that is virtually water-insoluble but dissolves readily in the acidic environment of the stomach, releasing calcium and phosphate ions identical to those from natural dietary sources.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

EFSA (2019) concluded that phosphate salts including E341(iii) pose no danger of acute oral toxicity, genotoxicity, cardiovascular disease, bone mineral density loss, or carcinogenicity, and established a group ADI of 40 mg phosphorus/kg bw/day protective for healthy adults. However, EFSA noted that estimated phosphate exposure from food additives may exceed this ADI for infants, toddlers, and children at mean and 95th-percentile consumption levels. Individuals with chronic kidney disease are a particularly sensitive population, as impaired phosphate excretion can lead to hyperphosphatemia when dietary phosphate load is elevated.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Group ADI of 40 mg P/kg bw/day applies to all phosphate food additives (E338–341, E343, E450–452) expressed as phosphorus. Approved as E341(iii) (tricalcium phosphate) in approximately 104 food categories. EFSA flagged that E341(i, ii, iii) meet criteria for particle-size risk assessment follow-up; business operators asked to submit particle-size distribution data.source
JECFA (JECFA (FAO/WHO))	Approved	JECFA assigned an MTDI (Maximum Tolerable Daily Intake) of 0–70 mg/kg bw/day expressed as total dietary phosphorus from all sources (JECFA Meeting 26, TRS 683). Functional classes: acidity regulator and anticaking agent. JECFA used MTDI rather than ADI because phosphorus is an essential nutrient naturally present in foods.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved	Designated GRAS under 21 CFR 182.5217 (miscellaneous) and 21 CFR 182.8217 (nutrient/dietary supplement); permitted in bread (Part 136), jelly and preserves (Part 150), and cereal flours at GMP levels. Also listed in FDA Food Contact Substances inventory.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Kidney Disease — Patients with chronic kidney disease have impaired phosphate excretion; additional dietary phosphate from food additives can exacerbate hyperphosphatemia, which is linked to cardiovascular complications and accelerated bone disease in CKD.

Children — EFSA (2019) reported that estimated phosphate exposure from food additives may exceed the group ADI of 40 mg P/kg bw/day for infants, toddlers, and children at mean consumption levels, and at the 95th percentile for children and adolescents.

Infants — EFSA (2019) noted that phosphate exposure estimates exceed the proposed ADI for infants at mean consumption levels, although the panel concluded no immediate safety concern exists for infants below 16 weeks consuming formula with approved phosphate levels.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1WHO. JECFA Evaluation of Tricalcium Phosphate (INS 341(iii)) – WHO Food Additives and Contaminants JECFA Database. apps.who.int
2FDA. FDA Food Additive Status List – Calcium Phosphate (mono-, di-, or tribasic). fda.gov
3PubMed. On the Application of Calcium Phosphate Micro- and Nanoparticles as Food Additive, 2022. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4PubMed. New Analytical Approach for the Determination of Calcium Phosphate Dibasic and Tribasic in Processed Food by Comparison of Ion Chromatography with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography, 2020. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5EFSA. Re-evaluation of phosphoric acid–phosphates—di-, tri- and polyphosphates (E 338–341, E 343, E 450–452) as food additives and the safety of proposed extension of use, 2019. efsa.europa.eu

Independently researched5 citations