E-numbers / Thickeners & emulsifiers / E440

Pectin

also: E440i (pectin) · E440ii (amidated pectin) · Fruit pectin

A natural fibre extracted from citrus peel and apple pulp, used to set jams, thicken sauces, and stabilise drinks.

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An ingredient list from the cakes, biscuits and desserts aisle

Water, Sugar, Apple Juice from Concentrate (5%), Fruit and Vegetable Concentrates (Apple, Carrot, Hibiscus), Acid (Citric Acid), Flavouring, Stabiliser (Pectin), Sweetener (Acesulfame K)

E440Thickener / Emulsifier

Pectin

Pectin is a fibre found in the cell walls of most fruit and vegetables.

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UK supermarket foods that declare E440: 1,624 of the 43,325 we checked (3.7%)

Counted by its code or its name in the ingredient list.

Only 1.7% of these labels print “E440”. Most use the name: look for “pectin”.

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 desserts482 products13% of 3,715
Bread and bakery185 products5% of 3,682
Yoghurt, milk and dairy160 products7% of 2,273
Ready meals and pizza131 products2.7% of 4,833

What pectin is, what it does and where you will see it

What is it?

Pectin is a fibre found in the cell walls of most fruit and vegetables. For food use it is mostly taken from citrus peel and apple pulp left over from juicing. There are two approved kinds: ordinary pectin (E440i), and amidated pectin (E440ii), which has been chemically changed so it sets in more conditions.

What does it do?

It sets into a gel when it meets water, sugar and acid. That is what makes jam and marmalade set, and it also thickens fruit fillings and keeps drinks from separating. In the large bowel, gut bacteria feed on it.

Where you will see it

Jams, marmalades, jellies, the fruit layer in yoghurts, fruit drinks, jelly sweets, low-fat spreads and some sauces and soups. Baby food and infant formula have strict limits. UK labels call it pectin, E440, E440i or E440ii.

What the science says

Feeds gut bacteria

In the large bowel, gut bacteria break pectin down into short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate. Butyrate is the main fuel for the cells lining the bowel. Several trials in people have found pectin increases helpful bacteria such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus.

In human volunteers, pectin was quickly broken down in the large bowel into short-chain fatty acids including butyrate, and boosted Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus bacteria.

2002Trial in peopleDongowski et al., Journal of Nutrition

A lower limit was recommended in some formula for babies under 16 weeks

The 2017 European review left one question open: whether the amount of pectin allowed is right for babies under 16 weeks. A 2021 follow-up found that at the maximum then allowed, the methanol the body makes as it breaks pectin down could reach a level that might harm babies that young. It recommended lowering the limit in two kinds of specialist medical food for babies. It changed nothing for anyone else.

At the maximum levels then allowed, pectin could produce a dose of methanol inside the body that may be a concern for babies under 16 weeks. Reviewers recommended lower limits in two groups of specialist medical foods for infants, and left the approval unchanged for everyone else.

2021Regulator reviewEFSA FAF Panel, EFSA Journal 2021;19(1):6387

Can modestly lower cholesterol, as soluble fibre does

Controlled trials and reviews of many trials have found that eating pectin regularly lowers LDL cholesterol a little and softens the rise in blood sugar after a meal. Soluble fibre in general does this, not pectin alone. The UK and EU allow food makers to say pectin helps keep blood cholesterol normal, if a food gives at least 6g a day as part of a meal.

A review of 67 controlled trials found thick soluble fibres, including pectin, lowered LDL cholesterol by around 0.2mmol per litre compared with no added fibre.

1999Review of many trialsBrown et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

An approved health claim says pectin helps maintain normal blood cholesterol at 6g a day.

2012Approved health claimEFSA, EU Register of Nutrition and Health Claims

Where it stands with the regulators

Approved in the UK and the EU

Daily limit. None set for the general population (European reviewers, 2017).

Legal basis: On the Food Standards Agency's approved list for Great Britain. Both ordinary pectin (E440i) and amidated pectin (E440ii) are approved.
Permitted foods: Jams, jellies and marmalades · Fruit preparations, including for yoghurt · Sweets · Baked goods · Drinks and fruit drinks · Low-fat spreads and sweetener preparations · Baby foods and cereal foods for infants and young children, with set limits · Foods for special medical needs · Soups and sauces
Maximum levels: No set maximum in most foods, as long as makers use no more than they need. Baby foods and some other foods have set limits.
History: It was reviewed in 2017, along with every additive approved before 2009. That review set no daily limit for the general population. In 2018 reviewers asked for more data on pectin in food for babies under 16 weeks. Their 2021 follow-up found that at the maximum then allowed, breaking pectin down could give those babies a methanol dose that may be a concern, and recommended lowering the limit in two groups of specialist infant medical foods. It left the approval unchanged for everyone else. Pectin is still fully approved in Great Britain.

Who should be careful

Very large doses taken as a supplement can upset the stomach in people sensitive to fibres that ferment in the gut. People on a low-FODMAP diet sometimes cut back on high-pectin fruit. Look for pectin, E440, E440i or E440ii if you are tracking fibre.

The honest read

Regulators followed up on babies under 16 weeks fed specialist formula, where a 2021 review found a possible methanol concern at the maximum levels then allowed and recommended lower limits.

Common questions about pectin

Is E440 banned in the UK?

No. Pectin, both E440i and E440ii, is fully approved for use in food in the UK.

Is E440 the same pectin I use to make jam at home?

Yes. Food-grade pectin is the same substance sold in home jam-setting sachets. E440i is the unchanged form, and E440ii has been chemically changed so it sets more reliably with less sugar.

What foods contain E440?

Jams, marmalades, fruit yoghurts, fruit drinks and squashes, jelly sweets, low-sugar spreads, and some soups and sauces. Some baby foods contain it too. Labels call it pectin, E440, E440i or E440ii.