E900-E999: Sweeteners & Others
78 E-numbers in this range
The E900-E999 range is the most diverse E-number category, covering artificial sweeteners, natural sweeteners, sugar alcohols, glazing agents, gases, and flour treatment agents. This range includes some of the most discussed food additives in the world — aspartame, sucralose, and stevia are multi-billion-dollar industries. It also includes controversial substances like potassium bromate (E924) and azodicarbonamide (E927a), banned in multiple countries.
E900 Dimethylpolysiloxane caution E900a Polydimethylsiloxane unknown E901 Beeswax safe E901a White Beeswax unknown E901b Yellow Beeswax unknown E902 Candelilla Wax safe E903 Carnauba Wax safe E903a Carnauba Wax (refined) unknown E904 Shellac safe E905 Microcrystalline Wax safe E905a Mineral Oil (Food Grade) caution E905b Petrolatum (Vaseline) unknown E905c Petroleum Wax unknown E905d Mineral Hydrocarbons (high viscosity) unknown E906 Benzoin Gum unknown E907 Crystalline Wax (Microcrystalline Hydrocarbon Wax) safe E908 Rice Bran Wax safe E909 Spermaceti Wax avoid E910 L-Cysteine Hydrochloride unknown E911 Methyl Esters of Fatty Acids unknown E912 Montan Acid Esters safe E913 Lanolin unknown E914 Oxidised Polyethylene Wax safe E914a Oxidised Polyethylene Wax (high MW) unknown E915 Esters of Colophony (Rosin) unknown E916 Calcium Iodate unknown E917 Potassium Iodate unknown E918 Nitrogen Oxides unknown E919 Nitrosyl Chloride unknown E920 L-Cysteine caution E921 L-Cystine unknown E922 Potassium Persulphate unknown E923 Ammonium Persulphate unknown E924 Potassium Bromate avoid E925 Chlorine avoid E926 Chlorine Dioxide unknown E927a Azodicarbonamide (ADA) avoid E927b Carbamide (Urea) caution E928 Benzoyl Peroxide avoid E929 Acetone Peroxide unknown E930 Calcium Peroxide unknown E938 Argon safe E938a Argon (food grade) unknown E939 Helium safe E940 Dichlorodifluoromethane avoid E941 Nitrogen safe E942 Nitrous Oxide safe E943a Butane safe E943b Isobutane safe E944 Propane safe E945 Chloropentafluoroethane avoid E946 Octafluorocyclobutane unknown E947 Carbon Tetrafluoride unknown E948 Oxygen safe E949 Hydrogen safe E950 Acesulfame K caution E951 Aspartame caution E952 Cyclamate caution E953 Isomalt safe E954 Saccharin caution E955 Sucralose caution E956 Alitame caution E957 Thaumatin safe E958 Glycyrrhizin (Licorice Extract) caution E959 Neohesperidin DC safe E960 Steviol Glycosides (Stevia) safe E961 Neotame safe E962 Aspartame-Acesulfame Salt safe E963 Tagatose safe E964 Polyglycitol Syrup safe E965 Maltitol caution E966 Lactitol caution E967 Xylitol caution E968 Erythritol caution E969 Advantame safe E970 Steviol Glycosides (detailed) unknown E999 Quillaia Extract safe E999a Quillaia Extract (Type 1) unknown
Frequently Asked Questions
What are E900-E999 sweeteners and miscellaneous additives?
The E900-E999 range is a diverse category that includes artificial and natural sweeteners, glazing agents, propellant gases, flour treatment agents, and other miscellaneous additives. Major sweeteners in this range include aspartame (E951), sucralose (E955), stevia (E960), and sugar alcohols like xylitol (E967) and erythritol (E968). Non-sweetener entries include dimethylpolysiloxane/DMPS (E900), beeswax (E901), and L-cysteine (E920).
Which artificial sweeteners are safest?
Based on current evidence, stevia (E960) and erythritol (E968) are generally considered the safest options in this range — both are derived from natural sources and have the fewest safety concerns. Sucralose (E955) is widely considered safe though some studies raise questions about effects at high temperatures. Aspartame (E951) is rated caution due to its IARC Group 2B classification. Saccharin (E954) and cyclamate (E952) have more controversial histories. All are approved by the FDA and EFSA at specified ADI levels.
What is the difference between artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols?
Artificial sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, saccharin) are synthetic or highly processed compounds that taste sweet but contain virtually zero calories. They are hundreds of times sweeter than sugar. Sugar alcohols (xylitol, erythritol, sorbitol, maltitol) are carbohydrates found naturally in fruits that provide sweetness with fewer calories than sugar. Sugar alcohols taste less sweet than sugar and can cause digestive issues in large amounts, but generally have better safety profiles than artificial sweeteners.