Food additive databasegum base, processing agentChecked 2026-10-02
Talc タルク
Existing food additivePermitted in the EU (E553b)
- Purpose
- gum base, processing agent
- On the label
- “ガムベース” (gum base; group name when used as the base of chewing gum), “タルク” (talc), “不溶性鉱物性物質” (insoluble mineral substances)
- Name in the List of Existing Food Additives
- タルク (No. 177)
- Source and production
- Carefully selected natural hydrated magnesium silicate. It may contain a small amount of aluminum silicate.
In Japan
- A mineral substance made of natural hydrated magnesium silicate, used as the base of chewing gum (gum base) and as a processing agent.
- Under the standards for use it is treated as an “insoluble mineral substance”: it can be used only where essential for manufacturing or processing the food, and the amount remaining in the food is limited to 0.50% (5.0% when talc alone is used in chewing gum).
- When used as gum base, it can be labeled with the group name “ガムベース” (gum base). When labeled by substance name it is “タルク” (talc), and the category name is “不溶性鉱物性物質” (insoluble mineral substances).
Japan's standards for use
- Standard as an insoluble mineral substance: must not be used except where essential for the manufacture or processing of the food
- Residue in the food: 0.50% (the total amount when used together with other insoluble mineral substances, two or more in all)
- 5.0% when talc alone is used in chewing gum (as a chewing gum quality improver)
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 E553b.
- In its 2018 re-evaluation of silicates including talc, EFSA concluded that it could not assess their safety as food additives. In July 2026 it began a call for additional data on genotoxicity, toxicokinetics, particle size, and other points.
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（簡略名・用途名併記・一括名・栄養強化の範囲） (Japanese)
- 第10版 食品添加物公定書（2024年、厚生労働省・消費者庁）成分規格の定義 (Japanese)
- EFSA ANS Panel (2018) Re-evaluation of calcium silicate (E 552), magnesium silicate (E 553a(i)), magnesium trisilicate (E 553a(ii)) and talc (E 553b) as food additives (Japanese)
- EFSA Call for data for Talc E 553b（2026年7月31日公開） (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.