Karaya gum (sterculia gum)
Karaya gum (sterculia gum)Karaya gum is a tree exudate used as a thickener and stabiliser. It swells enormously in water without dissolving, which is also why it is used as a bulk laxative and as an adhesive for medical appliances.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Permitted | 21 CFR 184.1349retrieved 2026-09-07 | |
| Codex Alimentarius | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. |
What it is made from
Tapped from Sterculia urens trees, chiefly in India.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Every name it appears under
1 recorded name. A label may use any of them.
As it appears in regulation
- Karaya gum (sterculia gum)
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 by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.
Sources for this page
- ecfr retrieved 2026-09-07
Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.
Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/karaya-gum-sterculia-gum.json