E-numbers / Thickeners & emulsifiers / E411
also: Oat beta-glucan gum · INS 411
A thickening gum extracted from oat bran. It holds an E number but is not currently authorised for use in UK or EU food.
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Derived from oats, which contain gluten.
Why it’s worth knowing. Derived from oats, which contain gluten. Anyone avoiding gluten or with coeliac disease should treat any product listing 'oat gum' or E411 as containing a gluten source. It is not on the UK list of approved food additives, so you will not normally see this E number on a UK label.
Oat gum is a soluble fibre fraction extracted from oat bran, consisting mainly of mixed-linkage beta-glucan polysaccharides. It is the same beta-glucan compound responsible for oats' known effects on cholesterol, isolated and concentrated into a powder form for use as a food ingredient.
As a thickener and emulsifier, oat gum forms a viscous gel in water. This gel increases the viscosity of liquid food systems, stabilises emulsions by preventing oil and water from separating, and can improve the texture and mouthfeel of products. The mechanism is the same as other polysaccharide gums: the long polymer chains entangle in solution and restrict flow.
E411 is not currently authorised for use in UK or EU food products, so it should not appear on labels of foods sold in Great Britain or the European Union. It has been researched for potential use in salad dressings, dairy-style products, baked goods and beverages. On a label it would appear as 'oat gum' or 'E411'.
E411 holds an E number and appears in various food additive reference lists, but it is not included in the UK FSA approved additives register or in the active permitted list under assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008. This means it cannot legally be used as a food additive in Great Britain or the EU. The E number was assigned during earlier legislative drafting but authorisation was never granted or lapsed.
E411 oat gum does not appear in the UK Food Standards Agency approved additives register.
The active component of oat gum is beta-glucan, a well-studied soluble dietary fibre. EFSA has authorised a health claim for oat beta-glucan in relation to maintaining normal blood cholesterol levels, when consumed as a food ingredient. However, beta-glucan used as a health claim ingredient is regulated differently from the same compound used as a food additive under the E-number framework.
EFSA concluded that oat beta-glucan contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels, supporting a health claim at 3g per day.
Oats contain avenin, a protein related to the gluten proteins in wheat, barley and rye. Oats are also frequently contaminated with wheat gluten during growing and processing. The FSA and EFSA recognise oats as a potential risk for people with coeliac disease, though the evidence on pure uncontaminated oats is debated. Any extract derived from oat bran, including oat gum, carries this gluten-origin status.
Oats and products thereof are listed as a major allergen requiring mandatory declaration under UK food allergen labelling law (Annex II of the Food Information to Consumers Regulation), classified under 'cereals containing gluten'.
EFSA reviewed oat consumption in coeliac disease and noted that most people with coeliac disease can tolerate moderate amounts of pure oats, but contamination with wheat gluten in commercial oats is common and a source of risk.
Anyone with coeliac disease or a wheat/gluten sensitivity should treat oat gum as a gluten-containing ingredient. Look for 'oat gum' or 'E411' on the label. Since it is not currently authorised in UK or EU food, finding it on a label in those markets would itself be irregular and worth querying with the manufacturer.
E411 sits in an unusual position: it has an E number, is biologically derived from a well-studied food ingredient (oat beta-glucan), and has been researched as a food additive candidate, but it has not been authorised for use in UK or EU food. The science on oat beta-glucan's effects is well developed in the dietary fibre and health-claim context. The absence of authorisation is a regulatory gap rather than a finding of harm, but the practical consequence is the same: it should not be in food sold in Great Britain or the EU, and if a label lists it, that product may not comply with UK food law.
E411 (oat gum) does not appear on the UK FSA approved additives register, which means it is not authorised for use as a food additive in Great Britain. It is not on a banned list as such, but without authorisation it cannot legally be used as a food additive in UK food products.
Oat gum is a concentrated extract of the soluble beta-glucan fraction from oat bran. Oat bran and oat fibre are broader terms covering the full bran layer. Oat gum is more refined and has a higher beta-glucan concentration, which is why it was investigated as a functional thickening additive.
Because E411 is not authorised in UK or EU food, it should not appear in foods sold in Great Britain or the European Union. It has been studied for potential use in dressings, beverages, dairy alternatives and baked goods, but these applications are not legally permitted under current UK food additive law.
Yes. Oat gum is derived entirely from oat bran and contains no animal-derived ingredients.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
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