Food additive databasegum base, glazing agentChecked 2026-10-02
Microcrystalline Wax マイクロクリスタリンワックス
Existing food additivePermitted in the EU (E905)
- Purpose
- gum base, glazing agent
- On the label
- “ガムベース” (gum base), “光沢剤” (glazing agent), “マイクロクリスタリンワックス” (microcrystalline wax), “ミクロクリスタリンワックス” (microcrystalline wax, alternative spelling)
- Name in the List of Existing Food Additives
- マイクロクリスタリンワックス (No. 278)
- Source and production
- A mixture of solid hydrocarbons obtained from the residual oil or heavy distillate of vacuum distillation of petroleum, consisting mainly of branched and straight-chain saturated hydrocarbons (definition in the specifications).
In Japan
- A solid wax obtained from petroleum; its purposes in the List of Existing Food Additives are gum base and glazing agent.
- No standards for use (the foods it can be used in or the maximum amounts) have been set.
- When used as the base of chewing gum it can be labeled with the group name “ガムベース” (gum base), and when used to give a surface shine, with the group name “光沢剤” (glazing agent). When labeled by substance name, the alternative name “ミクロクリスタリンワックス” can also be used.
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 E905.
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
- 消費者庁「食品表示基準について」別添 添加物関係（既存添加物名簿収載品目リスト・簡略名・一括名の範囲ほか） (Japanese)
- 第10版食品添加物公定書（厚生労働省・消費者庁、2024年）成分規格・保存基準各条 (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.