Methacrylate copolymer, basic (BMC)

E number E1205INS 1205CAS 24938-16-7

Used as a glazing agent — Codex also lists it as carrier.

Basic methacrylate copolymer is a film coating for tablets and supplements, chosen because it dissolves in stomach acid but not in the mouth — so it masks a bitter taste without delaying release.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Methacrylate copolymer, basic (BMC) by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationNot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFAPermitted, with conditions

8 food categories

no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice)

Show every food category
  • 06.1 Whole, broken, or flaked grain, including rice — GMP
  • 06.2.1 Flours — GMP
  • 06.4.2 Dried pastas and noodles and like products — GMP
  • 11.1.1 White sugar, dextrose anhydrous, dextrose monohydrate, fructose — GMP
  • 11.1.2 Powdered sugar, powdered dextrose — GMP
  • 11.2 Brown sugar excluding products of food category 11.1.3 — GMP
  • 12.1.1 Salt — GMP
  • 12.2.1 Herbs and spices — GMP
CXS 192-1995 Table Three, INS 1205and 8 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07

What it is made from

Produced by copolymerising methacrylate esters carrying basic amine groups.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
CAS registry number
24938-16-7

Every name it appears under

6 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

E number

  • E1205

INS number

  • 1205

CAS registry number

  • 24938-16-7

Other names

  • Basic methacrylate copolymer
  • E 1205
  • METHACRYLATE COPOLYMER, BASIC (BMC)

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

  • gsfa 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/methacrylate-copolymer-basic-bmc.json