Food additive databaseprocessing agentChecked 2026-10-02

Microcrystalline Cellulose 微結晶セルロース

Existing food additivePermitted in the EU (E460(i))

Purpose: processing agent
On the label: “微結晶セルロース” (microcrystalline cellulose), “結晶セルロース” (crystalline cellulose), “セルロース” (cellulose)
Name in the List of Existing Food Additives: 微結晶セルロース (No. 225)
Source and production: Obtained from pulp, with crystalline cellulose as the main component. There are dried and water-containing forms.

In Japan

Crystalline cellulose obtained from pulp, used as a processing agent. There are no standards for use.
The alternative name is “結晶セルロース” (crystalline cellulose) and the short name is “セルロース” (cellulose). The short name “セルロース” is shared with powdered cellulose and microfibrillated cellulose, so “セルロース” alone on a label does not tell you which one it is.

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 E460(i).
Its name in the EU is Microcrystalline cellulose (E460(i)). In its 2018 re-evaluation of celluloses, the EFSA ANS Panel concluded that there was no need to set a numerical ADI.

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 processing agent

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