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

Furcellaran ファーセレラン

Existing food additivePermitted in the EU (E407)
Purpose
thickener / stabilizer
On the label
“増粘剤（ファーセレラン）” (thickener (furcellaran)), “安定剤（ファーセレラン）” (stabilizer (furcellaran)), “ゲル化剤（ファーセレラン）” (gelling agent (furcellaran)), “増粘多糖類” (thickening polysaccharides) (when two or more thickening-stabilizer polysaccharides are used)
Name in the List of Existing Food Additives
ファーセレラン (No. 231)
Source and production
Obtained by extracting the whole alga of Furcellaria fastigiata (family Furcellariaceae) with hot water or an alkaline aqueous solution. The main component is polysaccharides.

In Japan

  • A polysaccharide extracted from the whole alga of the red alga Furcellaria, used as a thickening stabilizer to thicken or solidify foods. There are no standards for use.
  • When used as a thickener, stabilizer, or gelling agent, it is written together with the purpose name, as in “ゲル化剤（ファーセレラン）” (gelling agent (furcellaran)). When two or more thickening-stabilizer polysaccharides are used, they can be written together as “増粘多糖類” (thickening polysaccharides), and if the purpose is thickening, the purpose name can be omitted (Food Labeling Standards).

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 on the EU list of food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II) as E407.
  • The EU has no separate item for it. In the specifications for carrageenan (E407), the source seaweeds include the family Furcellariaceae, and “Furcellaran” is given as an alternative name (Regulation (EU) No 231/2012, and EFSA's 2018 re-evaluation).

When it is labeled under a shared name

Furcellaran 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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