Gellan Gum | whatsinit

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Gellan gum is a water-soluble polysaccharide produced by bacterial fermentation of Sphingomonas elodea, used as a gelling agent, stabilizer, and thickener in a wide range of processed foods and beverages. It forms firm, clear gels at low concentrations and is valued for heat stability and texture control.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

EFSA's 2018 re-evaluation concluded there is no need for a numerical ADI and no safety concern at current reported use levels for the general population. No adverse effects were observed in chronic animal studies at the highest doses tested, and repeated oral intake up to 200 mg/kg bw/day for three weeks had no adverse effects in humans. No genotoxicity or carcinogenicity concerns have been identified, and gellan gum is unlikely to be absorbed intact or fermented by human intestinal microbiota.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Restricted	Permitted in sugar-boiled confectionery only, at a maximum of 2%, under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 (Appendix A, Emulsifier/Stabiliser category).source
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Approved as a gelling agent, stabilizer, and thickener under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008. EFSA 2018 re-evaluation confirmed no numerical ADI is required and found no safety concern at refined exposure for all authorised food categories including flavoured drinks.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved	Regulated as a direct food additive under 21 CFR 172.695 for use as a stabilizer and thickener; GMP-based limits apply with no fixed numerical maximum.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Infants — EFSA's 2018 re-evaluation estimated that toddlers under a brand-loyal consumption scenario reach the highest relative exposure (up to 72.4 mg/kg bw/day at the 95th percentile), and gellan gum is generally not authorised as an additive in infant or follow-on formula products in the EU under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1FDA. Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Part 172.695 – Xanthan Gum (Gellan Gum listed as direct food additive stabilizer/thickener). accessdata.fda.gov
2EFSA. Re-evaluation of gellan gum (E 418) as food additive, 2018. efsa.europa.eu
3PubMed. Re-evaluation of gellan gum (E 418) as food additive, 2018. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4FSSAI. Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 – Appendix A: List of Food Additives, 2011. fssai.gov.in

Independently researched4 citations