Tara Gum | whatsinit

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Tara gum is a purified galactomannan polysaccharide extracted from the endosperm of seeds of the South American tara tree (Caesalpinia spinosa), appearing as a white-to-yellowish powder. It is used in food as a thickener, stabiliser, emulsifier, and gelling agent in dairy products, frozen desserts, sauces, bakery goods, and meat products.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

EFSA and JECFA both assigned an ADI of 'not specified', indicating low toxicity; no adverse effects were found at the highest tested doses in subchronic, chronic, and carcinogenicity studies, and no genotoxicity concern was identified. Tara gum is unlikely to be absorbed intact and is expected to be fermented by the intestinal microbiota. Consumers should be aware that tara flour (a distinct whole-seed product from the same plant) was associated with a 2022 hepatotoxicity outbreak due to the non-protein amino acid baikiain — this hazard is not attributed to the purified E417 gum additive.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) (Australia)	Approved	Approved under Schedule 2 (Miscellaneous additives permitted in accordance with GMP in processed foods) of Standard 1.3.1 – Food Additives. FSANZ Final Assessment concluded no public health and safety concerns.source
Health Canada (Canada)	Approved	Health Canada approved tara gum as an emulsifying, gelling, stabilising, and thickening agent in unstandardised foods and certain standardised foods, including bread, following pre-market safety and efficacy assessment.source
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Authorised as a Group I food additive under Annex II and III of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 across 67 food categories. EFSA re-evaluation (2017) confirmed ADI 'not specified' — no numerical ADI required. Use governed by Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) limits.source
MHLW (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) (Japan)	Approved	Tara gum is listed as a permitted food additive in Japan, as noted in FSANZ assessment documentation.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Ibs — As a fermentable galactomannan polysaccharide, tara gum may act as a FODMAP-like substrate and could exacerbate symptoms such as bloating and gas in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome sensitive to fermentable fibres.

Ibd — Fermentable polysaccharides like tara gum may alter gut microbiota composition and gas production; individuals with active inflammatory bowel disease should monitor tolerance, as individual responses to gelling agents can vary.

Other — Individuals with known legume (Fabaceae family) hypersensitivity should exercise caution, as tara gum is derived from Caesalpinia spinosa (a legume), and cross-reactive allergenicity — while not formally established — cannot be fully excluded.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1other. FSANZ Final Assessment Report: Application A546 – Tara Gum as a Food Additive. foodstandards.gov.au
2other. Tara Flour – LiverTox (NIH/NCBI), 2024. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3PubMed. Molecular characterization of a galactomannan extracted from Tara (Caesalpinia spinosa) seeds, 2023. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4EFSA. Re-evaluation of tara gum (E 417) as a food additive, 2017. efsa.europa.eu
5PubMed. Re-evaluation of tara gum (E 417) as a food additive, 2017. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
6other. Health Canada's Proposal to Enable the Use of Tara Gum as an Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing and Thickening Agent, 2017. canada.ca

Independently researched6 citations