INS 334 is tartaric acid, the sour-sharp acid that occurs naturally in grapes, tamarind, and unripe fruit. On Indian packs it shows up most often in sherbet powders, fruit salts, sour candies, jellied desserts, and tamarind-based products. The kitchen-form most home cooks know is cream of tartar (which is potassium bitartrate, the potassium salt). It is generally vegan and is permitted by FSSAI for specified food categories.
INS 334 is tartaric acid, the sour-sharp acid that occurs naturally in grapes, tamarind, and unripe fruit. On Indian packs it shows up most often in sherbet powders, fruit salts, sour candies, jellied desserts, and tamarind-based products. The kitchen-form most home cooks know is cream of tartar (which is potassium bitartrate, the potassium salt).
Brands use it because it adds a sharp, clean sourness with a slightly different character from citric acid (lemon-tart) or malic acid (apple-tart); tartaric acid carries a grape-and-tamarind note that suits sherbet, fizz powders, and fruit candy. It also pairs with sodium bicarbonate in effervescent products to create the fizz reaction when the sachet hits water. It is heat-stable, so it survives baking and pasteurisation.
INS 334 commonly shows up on Indian packets in these categories:
Tartaric acid is produced by two main routes. The natural route recovers L-(+)-tartaric acid from winemaking by-products (grape pomace, wine lees, and the potassium bitartrate crystals that precipitate in fermentation vessels). The synthetic route uses an enzymatic conversion of maleic anhydride to L-(+)-tartaric acid via immobilised Rhodococcus ruber cells. Both routes give the same food-grade L-(+)-isomer. No animal product is used in either route.
FSSAI: Permitted by FSSAI as an acidity regulator under Schedule I of the FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations 2011 with a recommended maximum level of 500 mg per 100 g of product ready for consumption (singly or in combination with other acidulants) in specified food categories. Sometimes declared on packs as 'tartaric acid', 'INS 334', or 'E334'; cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate) is the related kitchen-form.
JECFA: Group ADI 0-30 mg/kg body weight for L-(+)-tartaric acid and its sodium, potassium, and sodium-potassium salts, originally established at the 21st JECFA (1977) and most recently re-affirmed at the 84th JECFA (2017). The 2017 re-evaluation also extended the group ADI to cover metatartaric acid (a heat-treated form of tartaric acid used in wine stabilisation), because metatartaric acid converts to L-(+)-tartaric acid in the body before absorption. Food-grade tartaric acid is exclusively the L-(+)-isomer (the form found in grapes and tamarind); the D and DL forms have separate regulatory positions and are not food-grade.
On packets, in recipes, and in conversation, INS 334 is also called:
Last verified: 2026-05-12.
This page covers INS 334 one additive at a time. To check a full packet's ingredient list against the same FSSAI / JECFA / EFSA-cited dataset, use the Indian Food Ingredient Checker - paste the whole list and get a per-item verdict plus a composite tone (clear / watch / flag / incomplete).