Cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (Cross-linked-cellulose gum)
74811-65-7 · CROSS-LINKED CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE (CROSS-LINKED CELLULOSE GUM) · Cross-linked sodium carboxy methyl cellulose · Cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (Cross-linked-cellulose gum) · E468 · 468 · Cross-linked sodium carboxy methyl cellulose · Carbossimetilcellulosa sodica reticolata, gomma di cellulosa reticolata · Carboximetilcelulosa sódica entrelazada, goma de celulosa entrelazada · Carboximetilcelulose de sódio reticulada, goma de celulose reticulada · Carboximetilceluloză de sodiu reticulată, gumă de celuloză cu structură reticulată · Carboxyméthylcellulose de sodium réticulée, gomme de cellulose réticulée · Cross-linked sodium carboxy methyl cellulose, cross linked cellulose gum · CROSS-LINKED SODIUM CARBOXYMETHYLCELLULOSE, CROSS-LINKED CELLULOSE GUM · Karbossimetilċelluloża tas-sodju retikolata, gomma taċ-ċelluloża retikolata · SIEŤOVANÁ KARBOXYMETYLCELULÓZA SODNÁ, SIEŤOVANÁ CELULÓZOVÁ GUMA · Sieťovaná sodná soľ karboxymetylcelulózy, sieťovaná celulózová guma · Silloitettu natriumkarboksimetyyliselluloosa, silloitettu selluloosakumi · Skersinio ryšio natrio karboksimetilceliuliozė, skersinio ryšio celiuliozės derva · SÓL SODOWA KARBOKSYMETYLCELULOZY USIECIOWANA, GUMA CELULOZOWA USIECIOWANA · Sól sodowa karboksymetylocelulozy usieciowana, guma celulozowa usieciowana · Tvärbunden natriumkarboximetylcellulosa, tvärbundet cellulosagummi · Tværbunden natriumcarboxymethylcellulose (tværbunden cellulosegummi) · Térhálós nátrium-karboxi-metil-cellulóz, térhálós cellulózgumi · UMREŽENA NATRIJEVA METIL CELULOZA, UMREŽENA CELULOZNA GUMA · Umrežena natrijeva karboksi metil celuloza, umrežena celulozna guma · Vernette natriumcarboxymethylcellulose, vernette cellulosegom · Vernetzte Carboxymethylcellulose (modifizierter Cellulosegummi) · Võrkstruktuuriga naatriumkarboksümetüültselluloos · ZAMREŽENA NATRIJEVA KARBOKSIMETILCELULOZA, ZAMREŽENI CELULOZNI GUMI · zamrežena natrijeva karboksimetil celuloza, zamrežen celulozni gumi · ZESÍŤOVANÁ SODNÁ SŮL KARBOXYMETHYLCELULOSY, ZESÍŤOVANÁ CELULOSOVÁ GUMA · Zesíťovaná sodná sůl karboxymethyl-celulosy, zesíťovaná celulosová guma · ŠĶĒRSŠŪTĀ NĀTRIJA KARBOKSIMETILCELULOZE, ŠĶĒRSŠŪTĀS CELULOZES SVEĶI · Šķērsšūtās karboksimetilcelulozes nātrija sāls, šķērsšūtās celulozes sveķi · Άλας με νάτριο της καρβοξυμεθυλοκυτταρίνης με σταυροδεσμούς, κόμμι κυτταρίνης με σταυροδεσμούς · Напречно свързана натриева карбоксиметил целулоза, напречно свързана целулозна гумаE number E468INS 468CAS 74811-65-7
Listed as a thickener and a stabiliser by Codex.
Listed as thickeners (Codex) · stabilisers (Codex)
- Codex Alimentarius: Thickener — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 468
- Codex Alimentarius: Stabilizer — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 468
Cross-linked cellulose gum swells in water without dissolving, used as a bulking agent and disintegrant.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Canada | Permitted | no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice) In: Table-top sweetener tablets that contain acesulfame potassium, aspartame, erythritol, neotame or sucralose. Purpose: Tablet disintegration. Limit: Good Manufacturing Practice. | Health Canada, List of Permitted Food Additives with Other Purposes of Use (List 8), item S.9retrieved 2026-10-17 |
| European Union | Permitted, with conditions | 3 food categories highest permitted level 50,000 mg/kg Show every food category
| Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex IIand 2 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-18 |
| Great Britain | Permitted, with conditions | 3 food categories highest permitted level 50,000 mg/kg or mg/l Show every food category
| Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008and 2 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-18 |
| Japan | No listing matchedThis site imports only Japan’s list of designated additives (Appended Table 1 to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act), matched by English name. Existing additives, natural flavouring agents and ordinary foods used as additives are permitted outside that list and are not imported, so an empty row does not show that Japan does not permit the substance. | ||
| South Korea | Permitted, with conditions | Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 1. …Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 1. 일반식품첨가물 (general food additives), 가교카복시메틸셀룰로스나트륨 (“Cross-Linked Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose”, the English the Code prints beside it). Main use (주용도) of 가교카복시메틸셀룰로스나트륨: 피막제, 안정제, 증점제. Standard for use (사용기준) of 가교카복시메틸셀룰로스나트륨: (1) [may be used only for the purpose or in the food the sentence states] “가교카복시메틸셀룰로스나트륨은 건강기능식품(정제 또는 이의 제피, 캡슐에 한함) 및 캡슐류의 피막제 목적에 한하여 사용하여야 한다.” The Korean is the standard as published. There is no official English translation of the current Code (the English version on MFDS’s website is the 2020 edition and has no legal effect); the English in square brackets is this site’s description of what each sentence does, not a translation of the foods or the levels. Compositional specifications (Part IV) are not imported, nor are the general standards in Part II, which apply to every additive. | Standards and Specifications for Food Additives (식품첨가물의 기준 및 규격), MFDS Notification, Part III (Standards for use, by item)retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| United States | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. | ||
| Codex Alimentarius | Permitted, with conditions | 2 food categories no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice) Show every food category and its notes
| CXS 192-1995 Table Three, INS 468and 2 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07 |
How much is permitted
A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.
| Canada | — | 1 GMP |
|---|---|---|
| European Union | 30,000 mg/kg – 50,000 mg/kg | 3 numeric limit |
| Great Britain | 30,000 mg/kg – 50,000 mg/kg | 3 numeric limit |
| South Korea | — | 1 no quantity stated |
| Codex Alimentarius | — | 3 GMP |
What it is made from
Made by treating cellulose gum so its chains bond to each other, which locks the structure while leaving it able to absorb water.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
- CAS registry number
- 74811-65-7
The two specifications, compared
The European Union sets identity and purity by regulation; JECFA publishes its own through FAO, advisory until a country adopts it. Both documents are below in full. These are the parameters each puts a number on.
| Parameter | European Union | JECFA |
|---|---|---|
| Loss on drying | no more than 6 % | no more than 6 % |
| Sulphated ash | — | no less than 14 % |
| Lead | no more than 0.1 mg/kg | no more than 2 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | no more than 0.2 mg/kg | — |
| Mercury | no more than 0.1 mg/kg | — |
| Cadmium | no more than 0.1 mg/kg | — |
One parameter differs between the two documents. A difference is not a disagreement about safety: the two are revised on their own cycles, and an assay or a drying loss can be measured against a different preparation of the substance, which is why only the contaminant ceilings are marked. Within the EU the EU's figure is the one that binds.
How the EU defines it
The legal specification an additive must meet to be sold as this E number in the EU — what it is, how it may be made, and the purity it must reach. From Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012.
E 468 Cross-linked sodium carboxymethylcellulose, cross-linked cellulose gum
Cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose is the sodium salt of thermally cross-linked partly O-carboxymethylated cellulose
Synonyms: Cross-linked carboxymethyl cellulose; Cross-linked CMC; Cross-linked sodium CMC;
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- CAS number
- 74811-65-7
- Einecs
- 629-739-2
- Chemical name
- Sodium salt of the cross-linked carboxymethyl ether cellulose
- Chemical formula
- The polymers containing substituted anhydroglucose units with the general formula: C₆H₇O₂(OR₁)(OR₂)(OR₃) where R₁, R₂ and R₃ may be any of the following: — H — CH₂COONa — CH₂COOH
- Description
- Slightly hygroscopic, white to off white, odourless powder
Identification
- Precipitate formation
- Shake 1 g with 100 ml of a solution containing 4 mg/kg methylene blue and allow to settle. The substance to be examined absorbs the methylene blue and settles as a blue, fibrous mass
- Colour reaction
- Shake 1 g with 50 ml of water. Transfer 1 ml of the mixture to a test tube, add 1 ml water and 0,05 ml of freshly prepared 40 g/l solution of alpha-naphthol in methanol. Incline the test tube and add carefully 2 ml of sulphuric acid down the side so that it forms a lower layer. A reddish-violet colour develops at the interface
- Test for sodium
- Passes test
- pH
- Not less than 5,0 and not more than 7,0 (1 % dispersion)
Purity criteria
- Loss on drying
- Not more than 6 % (105 °C, 3 hours)
- Water soluble matter
- Not more than 10 %
- Degree of substitution
- Not less than 0,2 and not more than 1,5 carboxymethyl groups per anhydroglucose unit
- Sodium content
- Not more than 12,4 % on anhydrous basis
- Arsenic
- Not more than 0,2 mg/kg
- Lead
- Not more than 0,1 mg/kg
- Mercury
- Not more than 0,1 mg/kg
- Cadmium
- Not more than 0,1 mg/kg
How JECFA defines it
The international specification for identity and purity, prepared by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives and published by FAO. It is a different document from any above, written by a different body and revised on its own cycle; it is advisory, and a country adopts it or does not.
INS 468 Cross-Linked Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose
Cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose is the sodium salt of thermally cross-linked partly O-carboxymethylated cellulose. It is manufactured by acidifying an aqueous suspension of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and heating the suspension to achieve cross-linking. The product is then washed and dried. It is also produced during the manufacture of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose by lowering the pH and heating to achieve cross-linking.
Synonyms: Cross-linked carboxymethyl cellulose, cross-linked sodium CMC, cross-linked CMC, croscarmellose sodium, cross-linked cellulose gum; INS No. Croscarmellose sodium; Cross-linked carboxymethyl cellulose; Cross-linked cellulose gum; Cross-linked CMC; Cross-linked sodium CMC
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- Specification history
- New specifications prepared at the 59th JECFA (2002), published in FNP 52 Add 10 (2002), re-published with editorial corrections in FNP 52 Add 11(2003). This substance was included at the 59th meeting in the group ADI “not specified” for modified celluloses, established at the 35th JECFA in 1989.
- C.A.S. number
- 74811-65-7
- Chemical formula
- The polymers contain substituted anhydroglucose units with the general formula: C 6 H 7 O 2 (OR 1 )(OR 2 )(OR 3 ) where R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 represent the following groups, present in varying proportions -H -CH 2 COONa -CH 2 COOH
- DESCRIPTION
- A slightly hygroscopic, white to greyish-white, odourless powder
- FUNCTIONAL USES
- Tabletting agent
Identification
- Solubility (Vol. 4)
- Practically insoluble in acetone, in ethanol and in toluene
- Colour reaction
- Add 1 g of the powdered sample to 50 ml water, while stirring to produce a uniform dispersion. Dilute 1 ml of this mixture with 1 ml of water in a small test tube and add 5 drops of 1-naphthol TS . Incline the test tube, and carefully introduce down the side of the tube 2 ml of sulfuric acid so that it forms a lower layer. A red-purple colour develops at the interface.
- Precipitate formation
- Mix 1 g of the powdered sample with 100 ml of solution containing 4 mg/kg of methylene blue in water and allow to settle. The substance absorbs methylene blue and settles as a blue, fibrous mass.
- Test for sodium (Vol. 4)
- Passes test
Purity criteria
- pH (vol.4)
- Not less than 5.0 and not more than 7.0 (1 in 100 suspension in water)
- Loss on drying (Vol. 4)
- Not more than 6% (105 o , 3h)
- Sulfated ash (Vol. 4)
- Not less than 14.0 % and not more than 28.0 % on the dried basis (2 g of sample)
- Water-soluble substances
- Not more than 10% See description under TESTS
- Degree of substitution
- Not less than 0.2 and not more than 1.5 carboxymethyl groups (- CH 2 COOH) per anhydroglucose unit on the dried basis. See description under TESTS
- Sodium chloride and sodium glycolate
- Not more than 0.5% (sum of sodium chloride and sodium glycolate) on the dried basis See description under TESTS
- Lead (Vol. 4)
- Not more than 2 mg/kg Determine using an atomic absorption technique appropriate to the specified level. The selection of sample size and method of sample preparation may be based on the principles of the methods described in Volume 4, “Instrumental Methods.”
- Test: Water soluble substances
- Weigh accurately about 10 g of sample and disperse in 800 ml of water. Stir for 1 min at the beginning, at 10 min, 20 min and 30 min. Allow to stand for 1 h and centrifuge, if necessary. Filter under vacuum using a fast filter paper and collect 150 ml of the filtrate. Evaporate 100 ml to dryness and dry the residue at 100 – 105 o for 4 h. Weigh the residue and calculate percentage of water soluble substances using the formula: M x 800 % water soluble substances = W where: M = weight of residue, in g W = weight of sample, in g
- Test: Degree of substitution
- Degree of substitution is the sum of the degree of acid carboxymethyl substitution and degree of sodium carboxymethyl substitution. Weigh accurately about 1 g of sample into a 500 ml Erlenmeyer flask and add 300 ml sodium chloride solution (10 % in water). Pipette 25.0 ml of 0.1M sodium hydroxide into the flask, stopper flask and allow to stand for 5 min shaking occasionally. Add 5 drops of m-cresol purple solution (dissolve 0.1g in minimum volume of alcohol and dilute to 100 ml with water), 15 ml of 0.1M hydrochloric acid from a burette, stopper the flask and shake. If the solution is violet, add 0.1M hydrochloric acid in 1 ml portions until the solution becomes yellow, shaking after each addition. Titrate with 0.1M sodium hydroxide until the colour turns to violet. Calculate the number of milliequivalents of the base required for the neutralisation equivalent to 1 g of dried substance. Calculate the degree of acid carboxymethyl substitution from the expression: 1150 M ( 7102 − 412 M − 80 C ) where: M = milliequivalents of sodium hydroxide required for neutralisation of 1 g of dried substance C = percentage of sulfated ash Calculate the sodium carboxymethyl substitution from the expression: (162 + 58A)C (7102) - (80xC) where: A = acid carboxymethyl substitution C = percentage of sulfated ash
- Test: Sodium chloride and sodium glycolate
- Determine sodium chloride and sodium glycolate separately and calculate their sum. Sodium chloride Weigh accurately about 5 g of sample (previously dried to constant weight) to a 250 ml conical flask, add 50 ml of water and 5 ml of hydrogen peroxide solution (30%) and heat on a water-bath for 20 min, stirring occasionally to ensure total hydration. Cool, add 100 ml of water and 10 ml of nitric acid. Titrate with 0.05 M silver nitrate determining the end point potentiometrically using a silver electrode and a double-junction reference electrode containing a 100 g/l solution of potassium nitrate in the outer jacket and a standard filling solution in the inner jacket, and stirring constantly. 1 ml of 0.05 M silver nitrate is equivalent to 2.922 mg of NaCl. Sodium glycolate Weigh 0.5 g of the sample to the nearest 0.1 mg and transfer to a 100 ml beaker. Moisten the sample thoroughly with 5 ml of glacial acetic acid, 5 ml of water and stir for about 15 min to ensure total hydration. Slowly add 50 ml of acetone and 1 g of sodium chloride. Continue the stirring for several minutes to ensure complete precipitation of the carboxymethyl cellulose. Filter through a fast filter paper previously washed with acetone into a 100 ml volumetric flask, rinse the beaker and filter with 30 ml of acetone and make up to volume with acetone. Allow to stand for 24 h without shaking. Use the clear supernatant to prepare the test solution. Prepare a blank solution containing 5 ml water, 5 ml of glacial acetic acid and acetone in 100 ml volumetric flask. Pipette 2 ml each of the test and blank solutions into separate 25 ml volumetric flasks. Remove the acetone by heating the uncovered flasks upright in a boiling water bath for exactly 20 min. Cool to room temperature and add 5 ml of 2,7-dihydroxynaphthalene TS and mix thoroughly, then add 15 ml more of the 2,7-dihydroxynaphthalene TS and mix. Cover the mouth of the flask with a small piece of aluminium foil and heat on a water-bath for 20 min. Cool to room temperature and make up to volume with 2,7-dihydroxynaphthalene TS. Measure the absorbance of the test solution against blank solution at 540 nm using 1 cm cells. Read the corresponding mg of glycolic acid from the calibration curve obtained as follows. Weigh accurately 0.100 g of glycolic acid standard (previously dried in vacuum over phosphorus pentoxide), dissolve in water in a 100 ml volumetric flask and make up to volume with water (use the solution within 30 days). Pipette 0.0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 ml aliquots of standard glycolic acid solution into a series of 100 ml volumetric flasks, add water to each flask to a volume of 5 ml, then add 5 ml of glacial acetic acid, dilute to volume with acetone and mix. Pipette 2 ml of each solution (containing, respectively, 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 mg of glycolic acid per 100 ml) into a series of 25 ml volumetric flasks and proceed in the same manner as described for the test solution. Plot the mg of glycolic acid in the original 100 ml solution against absorbance to give a calibration curve. Calculate the sodium glycolate content from the following formula: a x 1.29 % sodium glycolate = b where 1.29 = Factor for converting glycolic acid into sodium glycolate a = mg of glycolic acid read from the calibration curve b = dry weight of sample, in g
Authorised in other additives, enzymes, flavourings and nutrients
These authorisations are not for use in food. They let this substance be used inside another additive, a food enzyme, a flavouring or a nutrient preparation — often as a carrier — and it reaches food only as part of that product. Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008.
| Part | May be used in | Maximum level | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annex III, Part 1: Carriers in food additives | Sweeteners | quantum satis | Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex III, Part 1 |
Every name it appears under
37 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
E number
- E468
INS number
- 468
CAS registry number
- 74811-65-7
As it appears in regulation
- Cross-linked sodium carboxy methyl cellulose
Other names
- CROSS-LINKED CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE (CROSS-LINKED CELLULOSE GUM)
- Cross-linked sodium carboxy methyl cellulose
- Cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (Cross-linked-cellulose gum)
Hazard reference values
| Type | Value | Population | Assessed by | Opinion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADI | not specified | — | JECFA | 2002 |
Evidence and how bodies read it
What assessing bodies concluded
Each conclusion is paraphrased in the body's own framing, from the published opinion linked beneath it. Where bodies differ, both stand; this site does not adjudicate between them or add a view of its own.
EFSA 2018
The ANS Panel concluded, using read-across between the celluloses, that there was no genotoxic or carcinogenic concern for unmodified and modified celluloses (E 460–E 469), that no numerical ADI is needed, and that there would be no safety concern at the reported uses and use levels.
Common questions
Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.
- What is E 468?
- E 468 is Cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (Cross-linked-cellulose gum). Cross-linked cellulose gum swells in water without dissolving, used as a bulking agent and disintegrant.
- What is Cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (Cross-linked-cellulose gum) used for in food?
- It is listed as a thickener and a stabiliser — the role Codex assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Where is Cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (Cross-linked-cellulose gum) permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, Canada, the EU, Great Britain, South Korea and the Codex standard permit it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
- Is Cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (Cross-linked-cellulose gum) vegan?
- Yes. Cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (Cross-linked-cellulose gum) is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.
Sources for this page
- ca retrieved 2026-10-17
- eu retrieved 2026-10-18
- gb retrieved 2026-10-18
- kr retrieved 2026-10-18
- gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07
- euspecs retrieved 2026-10-18
- jecfaspecs retrieved 2026-09-23
Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.
Machine-readable: a JSON record of this additive is given on request —how to ask for access.
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