What is it?
Tragacanth is a thick gum made from the dried sap of Astragalus shrubs, which grow in the Middle East and western Asia. It is one of the oldest known natural gums and is made of a mix of complex sugars.
E-numbers / Thickeners & emulsifiers / E413
Gum tragacanth
also: Tragacanth gum
A plant gum that thickens sauces, dressings and sweets. It is approved, but it is a known allergen that can cause severe reactions in people who are sensitive to it.
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Vanilla Extract with Seeds* (47%) (Water, Vanilla Extract*, Vanilla Seeds*, Ethanol*), Sugar*, Inulin*, Thickener: Tragacanth, *Organically produced
E413
Gum tragacanth
A known allergen.
VeganVegetarianHalalKosher
132
of the 43,325 UK supermarket foods we checked declare E413 in their ingredients
That is 0.3%, counted by its code or its name.
Only 1.5% of these labels print “E413”. Most use the name: look for “tragacanth”.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
How common it is in UK food, by aisle
- Cakes, biscuits and desserts73 products2% of 3,715
- Bread and bakery45 products1.2% of 3,682
- Cupboard staples5 products0.3% of 1,936
What gum tragacanth is, what it does and where you will see it
Why it’s worth knowing. A known allergen. In people who are sensitive to it, it can bring on asthma, skin rashes and severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. People allergic to gum arabic (E414) may react to it too.
What does it do?
It soaks up water to form a thick, stable gel, which thickens food, keeps it from separating and binds it together. It copes with heat and acid better than many other natural gums.
Where you will see it
Salad dressings, sauces, sweets, ice cream, baked goods, pie fillings and the coating on some medicine tablets. It used to be common in gum sweets and pastilles. UK labels call it gum tragacanth or E413.
What the science says
A known allergen that can cause severe reactions
Doctors have described gum tragacanth as a strong allergen since at least 1943. Case reports describe asthma, a blocked or runny nose, skin rashes and anaphylaxis-like reactions. People most often become sensitive by breathing in the powder at work, but reactions after eating it have been described too. Lab tests show that people already allergic to gum arabic (E414) may react to it.
An early clinical case established tragacanth as a strong allergen that can cause extremely severe reactions, including anaphylaxis, and noted that desensitising people to it is difficult.
1943Case reportJournal of Allergy, 'The allergenic properties of the vegetable gums: a case of asthma due to tragacanth'
Blood tests (RAST) show cross-reactions between gum arabic and gum tragacanth, meaning the two share parts the immune system recognises.
Lab testThermo Fisher Scientific Allergen Encyclopaedia, Tragacanth gum (f298)
Reactions to tragacanth range from skin rashes to asthma at work, and are more likely after breathing it in.
2019ObservationalFrontiers in Immunology, 'Food-Induced Anaphylaxis: Role of Hidden Allergens and Cofactors'
Reviewers set no daily limit, but that says nothing about allergy
European reviewers looked at E413 again in 2017 and set no numerical daily limit, given its long use and the small amounts people eat. That assessment is about dose and toxicity. It does not change the allergy risk, which is a separate question.
Reviewers set no numerical daily limit for tragacanth and raised no safety issue for the general population at the levels reported in food.
2017Regulator reviewEFSA Journal, 'Re-evaluation of tragacanth (E413) as a food additive'
Where it stands with the regulators
Approved in the UK and the EU
Daily limit. None set (European reviewers, 2017).
- Legal basis
- On the Food Standards Agency's approved list for Great Britain
- Permitted foods
- Sauces such as mayonnaise · Salad dressings · Sweets · Ice cream and frozen desserts · Baked goods · Pie fillings
- Maximum levels
- Depends on the food. In several foods there is no set maximum.
- History
- One of the oldest food additives in use, and on Europe's permitted lists from the start. European reviewers completed a review in 2017, as part of reviewing every older additive, and kept it approved. There have been no bans or restrictions in the UK or EU.
Who should be careful
Anyone allergic to plant gums, especially gum arabic (E414), should be careful, because cross-reactions have been recorded. People who handle the powder at work, such as bakers, food makers and pharmacists, are more likely to become sensitive by breathing it in. Look for gum tragacanth or E413 in the ingredients.
The honest read
Gum tragacanth has been used in food for centuries. The main concern is allergy, not toxicity. Most people eat it with no reaction, but in a small number of sensitive people it can cause anything from a rash to severe asthma, and it cross-reacts with gum arabic. The allergy evidence is real and well supported by case reports, even though the risk from the small amounts in food is low across the population. The label is the only way a shopper can spot it.
Common questions about gum tragacanth
Is E413 banned in the UK?
No. Gum tragacanth is approved in the UK and EU. European reviewers looked at it again in 2017 and kept it approved.
Can gum tragacanth cause an allergic reaction?
Yes. It is a known allergen. Case reports going back decades describe asthma, skin rashes and severe allergic reactions in sensitive people. Lab tests have also shown cross-reactions with gum arabic (E414), so if you have reacted to gum arabic, tragacanth may affect you too.
What foods contain E413?
Salad dressings, sauces such as mayonnaise, ice cream, sweets (especially pastilles and gum sweets), baked goods and some pie fillings. It is also used in some tablet coatings. UK labels call it gum tragacanth or E413.
Is E413 vegan?
Yes. It comes entirely from the dried sap of Astragalus shrubs, with nothing from animals.
Sources
- EFSA Journal: Re-evaluation of tragacanth (E413) as a food additive (2017)
- UK FSA: Approved additives and E numbers
- Journal of Allergy: The allergenic properties of the vegetable gums (1943)
- Thermo Fisher Scientific Allergen Encyclopaedia: Tragacanth gum (f298)
- Frontiers in Immunology: Food-Induced Anaphylaxis: Role of Hidden Allergens and Cofactors (2019)
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
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