Gellan gum
A fermented sugar gum used to thicken and set foods. Widely used in soft drinks, plant milks and confectionery.
No adverse effects in chronic mouse and rat studies at the highest doses tested, and no concern for genotoxicity or carcinogenicity.
What is it?
Gellan gum is a water-soluble polysaccharide produced by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Sphingomonas elodea. The purified gum is a long-chain carbohydrate made up of four repeating sugar units. It is available in two forms: high-acyl (soft, elastic gels) and low-acyl (firm, brittle gels).
What does it do?
It dissolves in hot water and sets into a gel or thickened texture on cooling. At low concentrations it suspends particles (keeping cocoa from settling in chocolate milk, for example). At higher concentrations it forms firm gels. It is stable across a wide pH range and at high temperatures, which makes it useful in products that are heat-processed or long-shelf-life.
Where you will see it
Plant-based milks (oat, almond, soy), chocolate-flavoured milk drinks, confectionery (gummy sweets, jelly), sauces, salad dressings, flavoured waters, food supplements, and some fermented dairy products. On a label it appears as 'gellan gum' or 'E418'.
What the science says
Digestion and absorption
Gellan gum is not broken down or absorbed by the human gut. It passes through intact without entering the bloodstream. It is also not fermented by gut bacteria to any meaningful degree, which sets it apart from many other gums. A human study giving 200mg per kilogram of body weight daily for three weeks found no adverse effects.
Gellan gum is not absorbed intact in the human gut and shows negligible fermentation by intestinal microbiota in available studies.
A human tolerance study at 200mg/kg body weight per day for three weeks reported no adverse effects.
Genotoxicity and carcinogenicity
The EFSA review concluded there is no concern for genotoxicity or carcinogenicity based on the available data, including genetic toxicity tests and long-term animal studies.
No concern identified for genotoxicity or carcinogenicity in the full body of evidence reviewed.
Specification gaps noted by regulators
The 2018 EFSA opinion noted that the technical specification for E418 had gaps: the permitted level of a naturally occurring polymer called polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) was not defined, and limits for trace heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury) were considered in need of updating. These are manufacturing-quality issues, not concerns about the gum itself in food.
EFSA noted the specification should define PHB content and revise toxic element limits, but did not raise these as consumer safety concerns at current use levels.
Where it stands with the regulators
Who should be careful
No specific population group needs to avoid it. People with severe allergies to fermentation-derived ingredients should check with their doctor, though allergic reactions to gellan gum are not documented in the literature. Look for 'gellan gum' or 'E418' on the label.
The honest read
Gellan gum is a well-established food gum that has been in widespread use for decades and reviewed multiple times by international regulators. The science consistently shows it passes through the body without being absorbed or meaningfully fermented. The 2018 EFSA re-evaluation, which looked at the full body of evidence, found nothing to trigger a numerical daily limit. It is a functional ingredient with a long track record, and the regulatory record reflects that.
Related additives
Common questions
Is E418 banned in the UK?
No. Gellan gum is permitted in the UK under the assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008, which the UK retained after leaving the EU. It appears on the UK FSA's list of approved food additives.
Does gellan gum affect gut health or digestion?
Current evidence suggests gellan gum is not absorbed and is not significantly fermented by gut bacteria, so it passes through the digestive system without being broken down. No adverse digestive effects were reported in human studies at the doses reviewed by EFSA.
What foods contain E418?
It is most commonly found in plant-based milks (oat, almond, soy), chocolate milk drinks, jelly sweets, sauces, flavoured waters, and food supplements. It reads as 'gellan gum' or 'E418' on the ingredients list.
Is E418 vegan?
Yes. Gellan gum is produced by bacterial fermentation of plant-based sugars, with no animal-derived ingredients used in its production. It is suitable for vegan and vegetarian diets.
Sources
- EFSA ANS Panel re-evaluation of gellan gum (E 418) as a food additive (2018)
- PubMed entry for EFSA re-evaluation of gellan gum (E 418)
- UK FSA approved additives and E numbers
- EU Regulation 1333/2008 on food additives (Annex II)
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