日本語
Food additive databasethickener / stabilizerChecked 2026-10-02

Tara Gum タラガム

Existing food additivePermitted in the EU (E417)
Purpose
thickener / stabilizer
On the label
“増粘剤（タラガム）” (thickener (tara gum)), “安定剤（タラガム）” (stabilizer (tara gum)), “ゲル化剤（タラガム）” (gelling agent (tara gum)), “増粘多糖類” (thickening polysaccharides; used when two or more thickener/stabilizer polysaccharides are used)
Name in the List of Existing Food Additives
タラガム (No. 176)
Source and production
Obtained from the seeds of tara (Caesalpinia spinosa), with polysaccharides as the main component.

In Japan

  • A polysaccharide obtained from tara seeds and used as a thickener/stabilizer. There are no standards for use.
  • It has no short name. When used as a thickener, stabilizer, or gelling agent, it is written together with the purpose name, as in “増粘剤（タラガム）”. When two or more thickener/stabilizer polysaccharides are used, they can be grouped as “増粘多糖類” (thickening polysaccharides), and for thickening purposes the purpose name can be omitted (Food Labeling Standards).

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 E417.
  • In the EU it cannot be used in mini-cup jelly, nor in dried foods that are rehydrated with water before eating (Annex II). Japan has no standards for use.
  • In its 2017 re-evaluation, the EFSA ANS Panel concluded that there was no need to set a numerical ADI.

When it is labeled under a shared name

Tara Gum 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

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 thickener / stabilizer

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