日本語
Food additive databasethickener / stabilizerChecked 2026-10-02

Arabino galactan アラビノガラクタン

Existing food additiveNot on the EU additive list
Purpose
thickener / stabilizer
On the label
“増粘剤（アラビノガラクタン）” (thickener (arabinogalactan)), “安定剤（アラビノガラクタン）” (stabilizer (arabinogalactan)), “増粘多糖類” (thickening polysaccharides)
Name in the List of Existing Food Additives
アラビノガラクタン (No. 19)
Source and production
Obtained by extraction with room-temperature water from the roots or trunk of the European larch (“セイヨウカラマツ”) or plants of the same genus. The components are polysaccharides (the constituent sugars are galactose, arabinose, and others).

In Japan

  • A polysaccharide extracted with water from the roots and trunk of trees of the larch genus, used as a thickening stabilizer.
  • No standards for use (permitted foods and upper limits) have been set.
  • When used for thickening, stabilizing, or gelling, the purpose name is shown alongside, as in “増粘剤（アラビノガラクタン）” (thickener (arabinogalactan)). When two or more polysaccharides classed as thickening stabilizers are used together, they can be labeled together with the simplified name “増粘多糖類” (thickening polysaccharides).

Japan's standards for use

There are no standards for use that limit which foods or how much (the general standards for all additives still apply).

This is a summary of the standards for use. See the source list for the exact conditions.

In the EU

  • It is not on the EU list of food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II), so it cannot be used as a food additive in the EU.

When it is labeled under a shared name

Arabino galactan may be declared on the label in the same way as “増粘剤・安定剤・ゲル化剤”. See Thickener / stabilizer / gelling agent for details.

Sources

Checked 2026-10-02. Rules and evaluations change over time. This page is a translation of our Japanese page; if they differ, the Japanese page is the reference.

This page lists facts stated in laws and in evaluations by public bodies; it is not a safety verdict. Additives used in Japan are approved by the government, which sets the foods and amounts they can be used in. The ADI is a guide to the amount that is considered safe to take every day over a lifetime.

Other substances used as thickener / stabilizer

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