Food additive databaseglazing agent, gum baseChecked 2026-10-02
Shellac シェラック
Existing food additivePermitted in the EU (E904)EFSA ADI 4mg per kg body weight per day
- Purpose
- glazing agent, gum base
- On the label
- “光沢剤” (glazing agent), “ガムベース” (gum base), “シェラック” (shellac), “セラック” (shellac), “白シェラック” (white shellac), “精製シェラック” (refined shellac)
- Name in the List of Existing Food Additives
- シェラック (No. 139)
- Source and production
- Obtained from the secretion of the lac insect (“ラックカイガラムシ”); the main components are esters of aleuritic acid with shellolic acid, or of aleuritic acid with jalaric acid. The types are white shellac and refined shellac. Its source, manufacturing method, and nature follow the component specifications in Japan's Specifications and Standards for Food Additives (“食品添加物公定書”).
In Japan
- A resin obtained from the secretion of an insect called the lac insect, used as a glazing agent to give food surfaces a shine and as the base of chewing gum (gum base).
- Both glazing agent and gum base fall within the range of group names, and when used for those purposes it can be labeled simply as “光沢剤” (glazing agent) or “ガムベース” (gum base).
- “シェラックロウ” (shellac wax), whose main component is wax, is a separate item.
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 E904.
- In its 2024 re-evaluation, EFSA set an ADI of 4 mg per kg of body weight per day for shellac that is wax-free and physically decolorized. For chemically bleached shellac it set a provisional value, and it stated that the ADI does not apply to shellac containing wax.
- In its 2024 evaluation, EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) set an ADI (acceptable daily intake) of 4mg per kg of body weight per day (EFSA FAF).
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
- EFSA OpenFoodTox (chemical hazards database)
- 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)
- 消費者庁「食品添加物表示に関するマメ知識」（用途名併記・一括名・表示が免除される添加物） (Japanese)
- EFSA FAF Panel (2024) Re-evaluation of shellac (E 904) as a food additive. EFSA Journal 22(8):e8897 (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.