Food additive databasethickener / stabilizer, processing agentChecked 2026-10-02
Microfibrillated Cellulose 微小繊維状セルロース
Existing food additiveNot on the EU additive list
- Purpose
- thickener / stabilizer, processing agent
- On the label
- “増粘剤（セルロース）” (thickener (cellulose)), “安定剤（セルロース）” (stabilizer (cellulose)), “微小繊維状セルロース” (microfibrillated cellulose)
- Name in the List of Existing Food Additives
- 微小繊維状セルロース (No. 226)
- Source and production
- Obtained by turning pulp or cotton into minute fibers, with cellulose as the main component. Source, manufacturing method, and essence follow the specifications in the Japanese Standards for Food Additives.
In Japan
- Cellulose-based material obtained by turning pulp or cotton into minute fibers. It is used as a thickener/stabilizer and as a processing agent.
- When used as a thickener, stabilizer, or similar, the purpose name must be written alongside, as in “増粘剤（セルロース）” (thickener (cellulose)). The short name “セルロース” (cellulose) is shared with powdered cellulose and microcrystalline cellulose.
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.
- Cellulose in the EU (E460) is limited to microcrystalline cellulose and powdered cellulose; microfibrillated cellulose is not on the additive list.
When it is labeled under a shared name
Microfibrillated Cellulose 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
- 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
- 日本食品化学研究振興財団「既存添加物名簿収載品目リスト」（令和7年8月25日現在） (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.