Glycerol ester of gum rosin
Glycerol Ester of Gum RosinListed as a glazing agent by the US.
Listed as glazing and surface-finishing agents (US)
- United States: Surface-finishing agent — FDA, Substances Added to Food: ROSIN, GUM, GLYCEROL ESTER
Glycerol ester of gum rosin, made from rosin tapped from living pines, is one of three rosin esters Canada lists to adjust the density of citrus and spruce oils in beverages, and a chewing gum base softener in the US.
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, with conditions | In: Beverages containing citrus or spruce oils. …In: Beverages containing citrus or spruce oils. Purpose: Density adjusting agent. Limit: If used singly, the total amount not to exceed 100 ppm. If used in combination with glycerol ester of tall oil rosin or glycerol ester of wood rosin, or both, the total combined amount not to exceed 100 ppm. Amendment notices: NOM/ADM-0018. | Health Canada, List of Permitted Food Additives with Other Purposes of Use (List 8), item G.4retrieved 2026-10-17 |
| European Union | 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. | ||
| Great Britain | 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. | ||
| 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 | No listing matchedThis site imports Part III of South Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, matched by CAS number, then INS number, then exact name. Mixed preparations and sanitisers are not imported, and an entry whose identifiers disagreed with a page’s is held for review, so an empty row does not show that South Korea does not permit the substance. | ||
| United States | Permitted, with conditions | 2 permitted uses Show every permitted use
| 21 CFR 172.615and 1 further provisionretrieved 2026-10-18 |
| Codex Alimentarius | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. |
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 no quantity stated |
|---|---|---|
| United States | — | 2 no quantity stated |
No regulator sets a figure for Glycerol ester of gum rosin. That is not an absence of control: where the listing says quantum satis or good manufacturing practice, the quantity is limited to what the effect requires.
GRAS notices to the FDA
A GRAS notice is a company’s conclusion that a substance is generally recognised as safe for the use it describes. FDA’s letter responds to that conclusion, for that notifier and that use. It is not a listing in 21 CFR, and it is not counted as a US permission above. The substance and use are as FDA’s inventory words them; this site matched the notice to this page by exact name.
GRN No. 108 · Glycerol ester of gum rosin · T&R Chemicals, Inc.
Intended use: Use in citrus oils that are added to beverages to increase the density of the citrus oil and to act as an emulsifier at a maximum level of 100 parts per million
FDA’s response (2002-12-20): Notice does not provide a basis for a GRAS determination
What it is made from
Gum rosin is collected by tapping pines, then esterified with glycerol. It differs from wood rosin, which is extracted from pine stumps, and from tall oil rosin, a by-product of pulping. For chewing gum base, 21 CFR 172.615 gives it its own specification: an acid number of 5 to 9, a drop-softening point of at least 88 °C and a colour of N or paler. For beverages, 21 CFR 172.735 covers all three rosin esters together. The EU's E 445 is the wood rosin ester only.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
Every name it appears under
1 recorded name. A label may use any of them.
Other names
- Glycerol Ester of Gum Rosin
Hazard reference values
No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.
Evidence and how bodies read it
Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.
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 Glycerol ester of gum rosin?
- Glycerol ester of gum rosin, made from rosin tapped from living pines, is one of three rosin esters Canada lists to adjust the density of citrus and spruce oils in beverages, and a chewing gum base softener in the US.
- What is Glycerol ester of gum rosin used for in food?
- It is listed as a glazing agent — the role the US assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Is Glycerol ester of gum rosin banned in Europe?
- No. Glycerol ester of gum rosin does not appear on the EU's list of authorised food additives, which is not the same as being banned: the EU permits an additive only where it has authorised it, and usually the reason for an absence is that no one applied. The EU has made no finding against this substance. It does mean it may not be used as a food additive in the EU today.
- Where is Glycerol ester of gum rosin permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, Canada and the US 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 Glycerol ester of gum rosin vegan?
- Yes. Glycerol ester of gum rosin 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
- us-listings retrieved 2026-10-18
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