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Are Tartaric Acid and Tartrates (E334–E337) Halal?

Yes — this one is Halal.

Halal
Medium confidence About this ruling

About this ruling

Evidence confidence
Medium means a certifier is named, but the link lands on its portal rather than on a listing for this item. Use this page as orientation, then read the pack in your hand.
How we score High, Medium, and Low

Reviewed

Tartaric acid may be recovered from grape lees or made by other routes.

Next step Treat tartaric acid, cream of tartar, and tartrate salts as Halal. Wine-lees origin does not make the crystalline acid khamr after the authorised food-additive process. How to verify
Scan a label

Photo: Lauri Andler (Phantom) · CC BY-SA 3.0

Additive identity

E-number
E334, E335, E336, E337, E353, E354
Codex INS
INS 334, INS 335, INS 336, INS 337, INS 353, INS 354
Function
acidity regulator
Family
tartrates
EU Union list
authorised
Names
Tartaric acid; Sodium tartrates; Potassium tartrates; Sodium potassium tartrate; Metatartaric acid; Calcium tartrate; Cream of tartar

Possible source pathways

The finished molecule can be identical across feedstocks. The Halal ruling follows the pathway, not the code alone.

E334 Possible source pathways

  • plant Halal Typical Botanical identity. No animal tissue is required for standard food grade.

E-number database

What decides the answer

  • E334 family as food additive

    Halal

  • Wine / wine sauce

    still alcohol

Where you'll find it

  • Baking powder and sweets
  • Grape-product acidity

Why this ruling

Tartaric acid (E334) is the sharp acid of grapes and tamarind. Its salts are sodium tartrates (E335), potassium tartrates (E336), including cream of tartar, sodium potassium tartrate (E337) and calcium tartrate (E354), with metatartaric acid (E353) alongside them. As food additives, all of them are Halal.[3][5]

Where it comes from

Much natural tartaric acid is recovered from the crystals and sediment that form in wine barrels and tanks during winemaking. The crystals are dissolved, purified and recrystallised. Tartaric acid can also be made synthetically. EFSA reviewed the group together,[1] and US rules list tartaric acid as a generally recognised food substance.[2]

Why a wine by-product is Halal

The question people ask is whether something recovered from wine can be Halal. Certifiers treat food-grade tartrates as Halal because the finished crystal is a different substance: it is a salt or acid, not a drink, and nothing in it intoxicates.[6] It is the same reasoning that settles cream of tartar in baking. A small number of people prefer to avoid anything from the wine industry; that is a personal choice rather than the ruling here.

That reasoning covers the additive. It does not cover wine or a sauce made with wine; see wine.

What each one does

  • Cream of tartar (E336) – the acid half of many baking powders, and the pinch that keeps whisked egg whites stable for meringue.
  • Tartaric acid (E334) – sourness in sweets, jellies and soft drinks.
  • Sodium potassium tartrate (E337) – an emulsifying salt in some processed cheeses.
  • Metatartaric acid (E353) – stops crystals forming in bottled wine; you are unlikely to meet it anywhere else.

For the other everyday food acids, see citric acid (E330), lactic acid (E270) and acetic acid (E260).

How to verify

  1. Match E334–E337, E353, E354, tartaric acid, or cream of tartar.
  2. Halal as a food additive.
  3. Wine itself remains haram.

Quick checks

  • Tartaric acid, cream of tartar and the tartrates are treated as Halal food acids, not wine.
  • Cream of tartar is common in baking powder, meringues and some sweets.
  • If you avoid wine by-products as a personal caution, ask the maker: the label will not say whether the acid came from grapes or synthesis.

Frequently asked questions

Is cream of tartar Halal?
It is treated as Halal. Cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate, E336) crystallises out of grape juice during winemaking and is then purified; it is a non-intoxicating salt.
Is tartaric acid alcohol?
No. Tartaric acid (E334) is a fruit acid found in grapes and tamarind. It contains no alcohol.
Why is cream of tartar in baking powder?
It is the acid that reacts with bicarbonate of soda to make the dough rise. It also stiffens egg whites for meringue.
What are E353 and E354?
Metatartaric acid (E353) is made by heating tartaric acid and is used mainly to stabilise wine. Calcium tartrate (E354) is a calcium salt. Both carry the same ruling as tartaric acid.

Scholarly view

This is the same practical outcome as cream-of-tartar bakery rulings: the crystal is not wine. A minority who avoid all grape-industry streams can skip it; this site follows the mainstream Halal-additive reading.

Sources

Named Islamic, certifier, manufacturer, and regulatory sources used on this page. Inline markers like [1] jump here. Retrieval dates show when we last checked the live URL. Editorial methodology.

Certifier / jurisdiction

  1. SANHA — E-numbers

    SANHA Retrieved

    Certifier: SANHA

    Certifier E-number literacy; not a product certificate.

Regulatory / labelling

  1. EFSA — Re-evaluation of L(+)-tartaric acid and tartrates (E334–E337, E354)

    European Food Safety Authority Retrieved

    Substance identity—not a Halal certificate for a finished pack.

  2. 21 CFR § 184.1099 tartaric acid

    U.S. eCFR Retrieved

    U.S. identity / GRAS or colour-additive listing—not a Halal ruling.

  3. Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives

    European Union Retrieved

    Union-list identity—not a Halal certificate.

  4. European Commission — Food additives

    European Commission Retrieved

    EU additive literacy hub.

  5. Codex GSFA online

    FAO / WHO Codex Retrieved

    Codex INS / GSFA identity.

  6. U.S. FDA — Food additives

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration Retrieved

    US identity / labelling context—not a Halal ruling.

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