Food additive databasethickener / stabilizer, processing agentChecked 2026-10-02
Glucosamine グルコサミン
Existing food additiveNot on the EU additive list
- Purpose
- thickener / stabilizer, processing agent
- On the label
- “グルコサミン” (glucosamine), “増粘剤（グルコサミン）” (thickener (glucosamine)), “安定剤（グルコサミン）” (stabilizer (glucosamine))
- Name in the List of Existing Food Additives
- グルコサミン (No. 97)
- Source and production
- The main component is glucosamine, obtained by hydrolyzing with hydrochloric acid and separating chitin obtained from the shells of crustaceans such as shrimp and crab, from squid pens, or from the culture solution of a filamentous fungus (Aspergillus niger).
In Japan
- Obtained by breaking down chitin (obtained from the shells of shrimp, crab, and similar animals, from squid pens, or from the culture solution of a filamentous fungus) with hydrochloric acid (definition in Japan's Specifications and Standards for Food Additives). Its purposes on the list are thickening stabilizer and processing agent.
- When used as a thickener or stabilizer, it is written together with the purpose name, as in “増粘剤（グルコサミン）” (thickener (glucosamine)). When used as a processing agent, it is written by substance name, “グルコサミン” (glucosamine).
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.
Sources
- List of Existing Food Additives — Japan Food Chemical Research Foundation (Japanese)
- Standards for use and storage of each additive — Japan Food Chemical Research Foundation (Japanese)
- EU food additive database (Japanese translation) — MAFF (Japanese)
- Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives — EUR-Lex
- 厚生労働省「第10版食品添加物公定書」D 成分規格・保存基準各条 (Japanese)
- 消費者庁「食品表示基準について」別添 添加物関係（簡略名・用途名併記・一括名・栄養強化の範囲） (Japanese)
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.