E1001 — Choline, salts and esters
Why it’s used
A group class covering choline itself and its various salts and esters (such as choline chloride, choline citrate, and choline bitartrate), used as emulsifiers/stabilizers in some processed foods and, more commonly, as an added nutrient in infant formula, fortified foods, and dietary supplements. The dominant commercial form, choline chloride, is manufactured synthetically from petrochemical feedstocks (ethylene oxide, trimethylamine, and hydrochloric acid) rather than extracted from soy lecithin or egg yolk, which were historically used sources.
Other names
Choline chloride, Choline bitartrate, Choline citrate, Choline hydroxide
Diet flags
Regulatory status
Choline chloride, the principal commercial form, is affirmed GRAS as a nutrient supplement for direct addition to human food under 21 CFR 182.8252. Source (2026-07-24)
Choline salts and esters (E 1001, covering sub-forms such as choline chloride and choline citrate) have specifications in Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 and are authorised under Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, but only for specific, limited food-additive uses rather than as a general-purpose additive. Source (2026-07-24)
Regulatory status by region
The FDA treats choline chloride broadly as a GRAS nutrient supplement usable across a wide range of foods to support choline fortification, while the EU authorises the E 1001 choline salts only as food additives for specific, narrower functional uses under Annex II, separately from choline's regulation as a vitamin-like nutrient under EU food-supplement and fortification rules.
Same divergence as noted on the FDA side, from the EU's narrower additive scope: Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 sets specifications for E 1001, and Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 authorises choline salts and esters only for specific, limited food-additive functions, keeping that use separate from choline's parallel regulation as a vitamin-like nutrient under EU food-supplement and fortification rules. FDA's 21 CFR 182.8252 GRAS affirmation, by contrast, treats choline chloride as a general-purpose nutrient supplement usable broadly across foods, with no equivalent category-by-category restriction.
Found in these products
None of the products in our database currently contain E1001.