E-numbers / Thickeners & emulsifiers / E464
also: HPMC · hypromellose
A thickener made from plant cellulose. It sets when heated, so it holds moisture in and keeps oil out of fried coatings and veggie burgers.
Scan a barcode to check a food for hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose. NutraSafe Pro · £3.99/month · iOS
Potato (88%), Rapeseed Oil, Potato Granules, Potato Starch, Salt, Stabiliser (Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose)*, White Pepper, *Derived from Natural Plant Material
Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) is made by chemically changing cellulose, the material in plant cell walls, so it dissolves in cold water.
339
of the 43,325 UK supermarket foods we checked declare E464 in their ingredients
That is 0.8%, counted by its code or its name.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) is made by chemically changing cellulose, the material in plant cell walls, so it dissolves in cold water. Unlike most thickeners, it sets into a gel when heated. The body does not digest or absorb it.
It dissolves in cold water to make a smooth, thick liquid, and sets as it heats, the reverse of most setting agents. In fried and baked food the gel traps moisture and fat during cooking, keeping the inside moist and cutting how much oil soaks in. It also keeps oil and water mixed, and forms thin coats on tablets.
Fried coated foods such as fish fillets and chicken pieces, vegetarian and vegan burgers and sausages (where it binds and holds moisture instead of meat protein), gluten-free bread and pastry, instant noodles, sauces and gravies, low-fat spreads and dressings, ice cream and medicine tablet coatings. UK labels call it hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose or E464.
HPMC passes through the gut mostly whole. Human enzymes do not break it down, it is not absorbed into the blood, and it leaves in faeces, like other cellulose fibres. It adds almost no calories.
Cellulose and its derivatives, HPMC included, are not digested or absorbed in the human gut and leave the body whole. That is why the international committee set no numerical daily limit.
European reviewers looked at the whole family of celluloses, E464 included, in 2018. They raised no safety issue at the levels used in food, and set no numerical daily limit because these substances are not absorbed, so there is no toxicity inside the body to base one on.
Reviewers raised no safety issue with E460 to E469 at permitted levels and set no numerical daily limit.
Because HPMC sets when heated, it has been studied as a way to cut the oil fried food absorbs. Added to batter or meat substitutes, the gel that forms in the fryer blocks oil from getting in. Several food-science studies found clearly less fat in HPMC-coated fried food than in uncoated food.
Adding HPMC to frying batter cut the oil fried food absorbed, by forming a heat-set gel barrier on the surface.
Some lab and human studies have looked at whether thick soluble fibres, HPMC included, can cut cholesterol absorption by binding bile acids in the gut. The effects are modest and not special to HPMC at the amounts used in food.
Thick soluble fibres, HPMC included, lowered cholesterol modestly in some human studies by binding bile acids, though the effect at normal food amounts is small.
Daily limit. None set (international committee 1989), because it is not absorbed.
No group is advised to avoid it. People who eat a lot of different non-digestible fibres may get bloating or changes in bowel habit if their total fibre intake is very high, but that is true of fibre in general, not HPMC in particular. Look for hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose or E464 on the label.
HPMC is one of the best-understood cellulose derivatives in food. It is not absorbed or broken down, and decades of use in food and in tablets have shown no sign of harm inside the body. The 2018 European review of cellulose additives found nothing new. Online posts sometimes call it a chemical or synthetic additive. It is partly man-made, but the cellulose it starts from comes from plants, and the method is long established.
No. E464 is approved in UK and EU food and is on the Food Standards Agency's list.
Related, but different. Methylcellulose (E461) has only methyl groups added to the cellulose. E464 has methyl and hydroxypropyl groups, which changes how it dissolves and sets. Neither is absorbed, and both are approved in the UK and EU.
Gluten-free bread and baked goods, vegetarian and vegan meat alternatives, fried coated foods such as fish fingers and chicken goujons, ice cream, sauces, gravies and medicine tablets. Labels call it hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose or E464.
Yes. It is made from plant cellulose, and is often used for vegetarian capsule shells instead of gelatine.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
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