E-numbers / Thickeners & emulsifiers / E408
also: Yeast glycan · Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell-wall glycan · INS 408
A polysaccharide extracted from baker's yeast cell walls, used as a thickener and stabiliser. E408 does not appear on the UK FSA approved-additives list and cannot be confirmed as authorised for use in food in the UK or EU. It is authorised in the US under 21 CFR 172.898.
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This is not a permitted food additive in the UK, so you will not normally find it on a UK label.
Why it’s worth knowing. This is not a permitted food additive in the UK, so you will not normally find it on a UK label.
Bakers yeast glycan is a complex polysaccharide, primarily a beta-glucan, extracted from the cell walls of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker's yeast). It is the structural carbohydrate that gives yeast cells their rigidity. The extracted material is a white to cream-coloured powder that dissolves in water to form a gel or viscous solution.
It acts as a thickener and gelling agent by absorbing water and forming a network of cross-linked polysaccharide chains. At low concentrations it increases viscosity; at higher concentrations it sets to a gel. It can also stabilise emulsions by increasing the viscosity of the continuous phase, slowing the separation of oil and water.
E408 has very limited commercial use, particularly in the UK and EU where its authorisation status is unconfirmed. It has been evaluated for use in bakery products, salad dressings, sauces, and processed foods. On a UK label it would appear as 'bakers yeast glycan' or 'E408', though encountering it in UK food products is unlikely given its uncertain authorisation status.
The active component is a beta-1,3/1,6-glucan, the same structural class of polysaccharide found in oats, barley, and mushrooms. Beta-glucans are indigestible by human digestive enzymes and pass to the large intestine, where gut bacteria can ferment them. At food-additive use levels the amount consumed is small relative to dietary beta-glucan from oats or barley.
Beta-1,3/1,6-glucans from Saccharomyces cerevisiae are structurally characterised and distinct from cereal beta-glucans; they are not digested in the human small intestine.
A body of laboratory and animal research has examined whether yeast-derived beta-glucans stimulate immune cells, particularly macrophages and neutrophils. These effects have been studied in the context of supplements at gram-level doses, far above what would be present as a food additive. The relevance of supplement-dose findings to trace additive exposure is not established.
Yeast beta-glucans have been shown in animal and laboratory studies to activate innate immune receptors (Dectin-1), but these effects were studied at pharmacological doses unrelated to food additive exposure levels.
No formal EFSA full opinion specifically on E408 as a food additive appears in publicly available EFSA records. EFSA evaluated yeast beta-glucans separately as a Novel Food ingredient in 2011, which suggests the substance has not been processed through the food-additive authorisation route in the EU. The US FDA lists bakers yeast glycan as a permitted food additive under 21 CFR 172.898.
The US FDA lists bakers yeast glycan as a permitted food additive under 21 CFR 172.898, with permitted use as a thickener and stabiliser in specific food categories.
EFSA evaluated yeast beta-glucans as a Novel Food ingredient in 2011, a separate regulatory route from the food-additive Annex II authorisation pathway. No EFSA panel opinion treating E408 as an authorised food additive under Regulation 1333/2008 was located.
No specific population is currently identified as needing to avoid E408 based on published evidence. People with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker's yeast) allergies should note the source material. On a label it appears as 'bakers yeast glycan' or 'E408'.
Bakers yeast glycan is an obscure additive with very limited commercial use. The underlying molecule, a yeast cell-wall beta-glucan, is structurally related to components found naturally in oats, barley, and mushrooms. No toxicological red flags have been raised by regulators at food-use levels. The key finding from this review is that E408 does not appear on the UK FSA approved-additives list and could not be confirmed as authorised under EU Regulation 1333/2008 Annex II. EFSA reviewed yeast beta-glucans as a Novel Food in 2011, not as an Annex II food additive. It is authorised in the US under 21 CFR 172.898. Anyone encountering E408 on a UK food label should note that its authorisation status in Great Britain is unconfirmed from primary sources.
E408 does not appear on the UK FSA approved-additives list, and searches of the EU Annex II food additives database returned no entry for it. Its authorisation status in the UK and EU is not confirmed from primary sources. It is authorised in the US under 21 CFR 172.898. Anyone needing to verify UK compliance should check the FSA approved-additives database directly.
Yes, it is extracted from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker's yeast). People with a known yeast allergy should be aware of the source, though it is not one of the 14 major UK declarable allergens and would not trigger a mandatory allergen declaration.
It has been evaluated for use in bakery products, sauces, and salad dressings, but commercial use is rare, particularly in the UK and EU where its authorisation status is unconfirmed. It is unlikely to appear in most everyday UK foods.
Yes. It is derived from baker's yeast, not from animals or animal by-products.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
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