Sodium carboxymethylcellulose
9004-32-4 · Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose · SODIUM CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE (CELLULOSE GUM) · E466 · 466 · acetic acid;2,3,4,5,6-pentahydroxyhexanal;sodium · Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose, cellulose gum · Sodium carboxymethylcellulose · Carbossimetilcellulosa sodica, gomma di cellulosa · Carboximetilcelulosa sódica, goma de celulosa · Carboximetilcelulose de sódio, goma de celulose · Carboximetilceluloză de sodiu, Gumă de celuloză · Carboxyméthyl-cellulose sodique, gomme cellulosique · Karbossimetilċelluloża tas-sodju, Gomma taċ-ċelluloża · Naatriumkarboksümetüültselluloos, tsellulooskummi · Natrijeva karboksi metil celuloza, celulozna guma · natrijeva karboksimetil celuloza, celulozni gumi · Natrio karboksimetilceliuliozė, celiuliozės derva · Natrium-Carboxymethylcellulose, Cellulosegummi · Natriumcarboxymethylcellulose, cellulosegom · Natriumcarboxymethylcellulose, cellulosegummi · Natriumkarboksimetyyliselluloosa, selluloosakumi · Natriumkarboximetylcellulosa, cellulosagummi · Nátrium-karboxi-metil-cellulóz, cellulózgumi · Nātrija karboksimetilceluloze, celulozes sveķi · Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose, Cellulose gum · Sodná soľ karboxymetylcelulózy, celulózová guma · Sodná sůl karboxymethylcelulosy, celulosová guma · Sól sodowa karboksymetylocelulozy, guma celulozowa · Άλας με νάτριο της καρβοξυμεθυλοκυτταρινίνης, κόμμι κυτταρίνης · ΑΛΑΣ ΜΕ ΝΕΤΡΙΟ ΤΗΣ ΚΑΡΘΟΞΥΜΕΘΥΛΟΚΥΤΤΑΡΙΝΗΣ, ΚΟΜΜΙ ΚΥΤΤΑΡΙΝΗΣ · Натриева карбоксиметилцелулоза, целулозна гумаE number E466INS 466CAS 9004-32-4
Listed as an emulsifier, a thickener and a stabiliser by Canada, Codex and the US.
Listed as emulsifiers (CA, US, Codex) · thickeners (CA, US, Codex) · stabilisers (CA, US, Codex) · humectants (US, Codex) · gelling agents (Codex) · anticaking agents (US) · glazing and surface-finishing agents (Codex) · firming agents (Codex) · bulking agents (Codex) · texturisers (US) · formulation aids (US)
- Canada: Emulsifying agent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents (List 4)
- Canada: Emulsifying, stabilizing or thickening agent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents (List 4)
- United States: Emulsifier or emulsifier salt — FDA, Substances Added to Food: CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE, SODIUM SALT
- Codex Alimentarius: Emulsifier — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 466
- Canada: Emulsifying, stabilizing or thickening agent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents (List 4)
- Canada: Thickening agent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents (List 4)
- United States: Stabilizer or thickener — FDA, Substances Added to Food: CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE, SODIUM SALT
- Codex Alimentarius: Thickener — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 466
- Canada: Emulsifying, stabilizing or thickening agent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents (List 4)
- Canada: Stabilizing agent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents (List 4)
- United States: Stabilizer or thickener — FDA, Substances Added to Food: CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE, SODIUM SALT
- Codex Alimentarius: Stabilizer — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 466
- United States: Humectant — FDA, Substances Added to Food: CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE, SODIUM SALT
- Codex Alimentarius: Humectant — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 466
- Codex Alimentarius: Gelling agent — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 466
- United States: Anticaking agent or free-flow agent — FDA, Substances Added to Food: CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE, SODIUM SALT
- Codex Alimentarius: Glazing agent — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 466
- Codex Alimentarius: Firming agent — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 466
- Codex Alimentarius: Bulking agent — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 466
- United States: Texturizer — FDA, Substances Added to Food: CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE, SODIUM SALT
- United States: Formulation aid — FDA, Substances Added to Food: CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE, SODIUM SALT
Carboxymethylcellulose, often labelled cellulose gum, is a thickener used in ice cream, sauces, drinks and gluten-free baking. It is among the most common thickeners in processed food.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | Permitted, with conditions | 55 food categories no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice) Show every food category
| Food Standards Code, Schedule 15, S15—5and 54 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-17 |
| Canada | Permitted, with conditions | highest permitted level 5,000 mg/kg 18 permitted uses Show every permitted use
| Health Canadaand 17 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-17 |
| European Union | Permitted, with conditions | 76 food categories highest permitted level 10,000 mg/kg Show every food category
| Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008and 75 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-18 |
| Great Britain | Permitted, with conditions | 74 food categories highest permitted level 10,000 mg/kg or mg/l Show every food category
| Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008and 73 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-18 |
| Japan | Permitted, with conditions | Designated additive: Appended Table 1, item 104, カルボキシメチルセルロースナトリウム(別名繊維素グリコール酸ナトリウム) (“Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose (Sodium Cellulose Glycolate)” in the unofficial English translation). …Designated additive: Appended Table 1, item 104, カルボキシメチルセルロースナトリウム(別名繊維素グリコール酸ナトリウム) (“Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose (Sodium Cellulose Glycolate)” in the unofficial English translation). Standards for use — Specifications and Standards for Foods, Food Additives, etc. (MHW Notification No. 370 of 1959), Part II (Food Additives), F (Standards for use), entry カルボキシメチルセルロースナトリウム: (1) [sets maximum levels of use for the foods stated; sets a combined limit where it is used together with the additives stated] “カルボキシメチルセルロースナトリウムの使用量は、食品の2.0%以下でなければならない。ただし、カルボキシメチルセルロースナトリウムをカルボキシメチルセルロースカルシウム及びデンプングリコール酸ナトリウムの1種以上と併用する場合にあっては、それぞれの使用量の和が食品の2.0%以下でなければならない。” The Japanese is the standard as published. There is no official English translation of the Notification; 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 for this additive, in the same Notification, are not imported and are not shown here; nor are the general rules in F 添加物一般, which apply to every additive. | Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act (MHW Ordinance No. 23 of 1948), Appended Table 1retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| 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), 카복시메틸셀룰로스나트륨 (“Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose”, the English the Code prints beside it). Main use (주용도) of 카복시메틸셀룰로스나트륨: 증점제, 안정제. Standard for use (사용기준) of 카복시메틸셀룰로스나트륨: (1) [sets a limit on the amount used; makes an exception for a category of food, to which the limit does not apply] “카복시메틸셀룰로스나트륨의 사용량은 식품의 2% 이하(카복시메틸셀룰로스칼슘 또는 카복시메틸스타치나트륨과 병용할 때에는 각각의 사용량의 합계가 식품의 2% 이하)이어야 한다. 다만, 건강기능식품의 경우 제한받지 아니한다.” 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 | Permitted | 21 CFR 182.1745retrieved 2026-10-17 | |
| Codex Alimentarius | Permitted, with conditions | 23 food categories no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice) Show every food category and its notes
| CXS 192-1995 Table Three, INS 466and 23 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.
| Australia and New Zealand | — | 55 GMP |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 100 mg/kg – 5,000 mg/kg | 2 numeric limit, 7 GMP, 9 no quantity stated |
| European Union | 10,000 mg/kg | 2 numeric limit, 46 several limits, 6 quantum satis, 22 no quantity stated |
| Great Britain | 10,000 mg/kg | 2 numeric limit, 72 quantum satis |
| Japan | — | 1 no quantity stated |
| South Korea | — | 1 no quantity stated |
| United States | — | 1 no quantity stated |
| Codex Alimentarius | — | 24 GMP |
What it is made from
Made by treating purified cellulose with sodium hydroxide and chloroacetic acid, which attaches carboxymethyl groups and makes the fibre water-soluble. The cellulose is from wood pulp or cotton.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
- CAS registry number
- 9004-32-4
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Assay | no less than 99.5 % | no less than 99.5 % |
| Loss on drying | no more than 12 % | no more than 12 % |
| Lead | no more than 0.1 mg/kg | no more than 2 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | no more than 0.1 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 466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose, cellulose gum
Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose is the partial sodium salt of a carboxymethyl ether of cellulose, the cellulose being obtained directly from strains of fibrous plant material
Synonyms: NaCMC; Sodium CMC
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- CAS number
- 9004-32-4
- Einecs
- 618-378-6
- Chemical name
- Sodium salt of the carboxymethyl ether of cellulose
- Chemical formula
- The polymers contain substituted anhydroglucose units with the following general formula: C₆H₇O₂(OR₁)(OR₂)(OR₃), where R₁, R₂, R₃ each may be one of the following: — H — CH₂COONa — CH₂COOH
- Molecular weight
- Higher than approximately 17 000 (degree of polymerisation approximately 100)
- Assay
- Content on the anhydrous basis not less than 99,5 %
- Description
- Slightly hygroscopic white or slightly yellowish or greyish odourless and tasteless, granular or fibrous powder
Identification
- Solubility
- Yields a viscous colloidal dispersion in water. Insoluble in ethanol
- Foam test
- A 0,1 % dispersion of the sample is shaken vigorously. No layer of foam appears. (This test permits the distinction of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose from other cellulose ethers)
- Precipitate formation
- To 5 ml of a 0,5 % dispersion of the sample, add 5 ml of 5 % solution of copper sulphate or of aluminium sulphate. A precipitate appears. (This test permits the distinction of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose from other cellulose ethers and from gelatine, locust bean gum and tragacanth)
- Colour reaction
- Add 0,5 g powdered carboxy methyl cellulose sodium to 50 ml of water, while stirring to produce a uniform dispersion. Continue the stirring until a clear dispersion is produced, and use the dispersion for the following test: To 1 mg of the sample, diluted with an equal volume of water, in a small test tube, add 5 drops of 1-naphthol solution. Incline the test tube, and carefully introduce down the side of the tube 2 ml of sulphuric acid so that it forms a lower layer. A red-purple colour develops at the interface
- pH
- Not less than 5,0 and not more than 8,5 (1 % colloidal dispersion)
Purity criteria
- Degree of substitution
- Not less than 0,2 and not more than 1,5 carboxymethyl groups (-CH₂COOH) per anhydroglucose unit
- Loss on drying
- Not more than 12 % (105 °C to constant weight)
- Arsenic
- Not more than 0,1 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
- Total glycolate
- Not more than 0,4 %, calculated as sodium glycolate on the anhydrous basis
- Sodium
- Not more than 12,4 % on the anhydrous basis
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 466 Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose
Prepared from cellulose by treatment with alkali and monochloro-acetic acid or its sodium salt. The article of commerce can be specified further by viscosity.
Synonyms: Sodium cellulose glycolate; Na CMC; cellulose gum; sodium CMC; INS No.
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- Specification history
- Prepared at the 74 th JECFA (2011) and published in FAO JECFA Monographs 11 (2011), superseding specifications prepared at the 55 th JECFA (2000), published in the Combined Compendium of Food Additive Specifications, FAO JECFA Monographs 1 (2005). An ADI ‘not specified’ was established for modified celluloses at the 35 th JECFA (1989).
- Chemical names
- Sodium salt of carboxymethyl ether of cellulose
- C.A.S. number
- 9004-32-4
- Chemical formula
- [C6H7O2(OH)x(OCH2COONa)y]n where n is the degree of polymerization x = 1.50 to 2.80 y = 0.2 to 1.50 x + y = 3.0 (y = degree of substitution)
- Structural formula
- where R = H or CH2COONa
- Formula weight
- Structural unit with a degree of substitution of 0.20: 178.14 Structural unit with a degree of substitution of 1.50: 282.18 Macromolecules: greater than about 17,000 (n about 100)
- Assay
- Not less than 99.5% of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, calculated on the dried basis
- DESCRIPTION
- White or slightly yellowish, almost odourless hygroscopic granules, powder or fine fibres
- FUNCTIONAL USES
- Thickening agent, stabilizer, suspension agent
- METHOD OF ASSAY
- Calculate the percentage of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose in the sample by subtracting from 100% the sum of the percentages of sodium chloride and sodium glycolate (free glycolate), determined separately by the procedures above. Content % = 100 – (%NaCl + % sodium glycolate)
Identification
- Solubility (Vol. 4)
- Yield viscous colloidal solution with water; insoluble in ethanol
- Foam test
- Vigorously shake a 0.1% solution of the sample. No layer of foam appears. This test distinguishes sodium carboxymethyl cellulose from other cellulose ethers and from alginates and natural gums.
- Precipitate formation
- To 5 ml of a 0.5% solution of the sample add 5 ml of a 5% solution of copper sulfate or of aluminium sulfate. A precipitate appears. (This test permits the distinction of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose from other cellulose ethers, and from gelatine, carob bean gum and tragacanth gum).
- Colour reaction
- Add 0.5 g of powdered carboxymethylcellulose sodium to 50 ml of water, while stirring to produce a uniform dispersion. Continue the stirring until a clear solution is produced. To 1 ml of the solution, diluted with an equal volume of water, in a small test tube, 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.
Purity criteria
- Loss on drying (Vol. 4)
- Not more than 12% after drying (105°, to constant weight)
- pH (Vol. 4)
- 6.0 - 8.5 (1 in 100 solution)
- Sodium (Vol. 4)
- Not more than 12.4% on the dried basis Determine total sodium content by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy or Flame Photometry
- Sodium chloride
- Not more than 0.5% on the dried basis See description under TESTS
- Free glycolate
- Not more than 0.4% calculated as sodium glycolate on the dried basis See description under TESTS
- Degree of substitution
- Not less than 0.20 and not more than 1.50 See description under TESTS
- Lead (Vol. 4)
- Not more than 2 mg/kg Determine using an AAS/ICP-AES 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 (under “General Methods, Metallic Impurities”).
- Test: Sodium chloride
- Heat 5 g of the sample, weighed to the nearest 0.1 mg, in a platinum or porcelain crucible, first with a small flame so that the sample does not ignite and then, when the charring is complete, heat further in an electric oven for 15 min at about 500 o . After cooling, pulverize the ashes thus obtained and extract several times with warm water. Filter the extracts into a 500-ml volumetric flask, acidify with nitric acid and dilute to the mark. Determine the NaCl content of 100 ml of this extract by the method of Volhard, using 0.02 N silver nitrate and 0.02 N ammonium thiocyanate. Each ml of 0.02 N silver nitrate is equivalent to 1.169 mg of NaCl. Calculate the sodium chloride content by the formula: a x 0.001169 x 5 % NaCl = x 100 b where a is ml of 0.02 N silver nitrate used; and b is the dry weight of 5 g of the sample.
- Test: Free 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, followed by 5 ml of water, and stir with a glass rod until the solution is complete (usually about 15 min are required). Slowly add 50 ml of acetone while stirring and then approximately 1 g of sodium sulfate. Continue the stirring for several min to ensure complete precipitation of the carboxymethyl cellulose. Filter through a soft, open-texture paper, previously wetted with a small amount of acetone, and collect the filtrate in a 100-ml volumetric flask. Use 30 ml of acetone to facilitate the transfer of the solids and to wash the filter cake. Make up to volume with acetone and mix. Prepare a blank solution containing 5 ml of water, 5 ml of glacial acetic acid and acetone in another 100-ml volumetric flask. Pipet 2 ml of the sample solution and 2 ml of the blank solution into two 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 naphthalenediol TS, mix thoroughly, then add 15 ml more of the TS and mix. Cover the mouth of the flask with a small piece of aluminium foil and heat upright in the boiling water bath for 20 min. Cool to room temperature and make up to volume with naphthalenediol TS. Measure the absorbance of sample 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: Introduce 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4-ml aliquots of standard glycolic acid solution (1 mg per ml, prepared by weighing accurately 0.100 g of glycolic acid, previously dried in a vacuum desiccator for at least 16 hours, and then dissolving in 100 ml of water; do not keep the solution longer than 30 days) into a series of five 100-ml volumetric flasks. Add water to each flask to a volume of 5 ml, then add 5 ml of glacial acetic acid and make up with acetone to mark and mix. Pipet 2 ml of each solution (containing, respectively, 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 mg of glycolic acid per 100 ml) into a series of five 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 of solution against absorbance to give a calibration curve. Calculate the sodium glycolate (free glycolate) content by the formula: a x 0.129 % Sodium glycolate = b where a is mg of glycolic acid read from the calibration curve; and b is g of dry-weight of the sample.
- Test: Degree of substitution
- Sample preparation Weigh 5 g of the sample to the nearest 0.1 mg, and transfer into a 500-ml conical flask. Add 350 ml of methanol or ethanol (80% by volume). Shake the suspension mechanically for 30 min. Decant through a tared glass filtering crucible under gentle suction. Avoid, at the end of the decanting, suction of air through the crucible. Repeat the treatment with the extraction liquid until the test for chloride ions with a solution of silver nitrate TS is negative. Normally three treatments are sufficient. Transfer the sodium carboxymethyl cellulose into the same crucible. Displace the extraction liquid that adheres to the substance with acetone. Dry the crucible in an oven at 110 o until constant in weight. Weigh the first time after 2 h. Cool the crucible every time in a desiccator and pay attention during weighing to the fact that sodium carboxymethyl cellulose is slightly hygroscopic. Procedure Weigh 2 g, to the nearest 0.1 mg, of the bone dry substance, obtained with the above-mentioned alcohol-extraction procedure, in a tared porcelain crucible. Initially, char carefully with a small flame and afterwards for 10 min, with a large flame. Cool and then moisten the residue with 3-5 ml of concentrate sulfuric acid. Heat cautiously until the fuming is finished. After some cooling add about 1 g of ammonium carbonate, distributing the powder over the whole contents of the crucible. Heat again, initially with a small flame until the fuming is finished and heat then at a dull red heat for 10 min. Repeat the treatment with sulfuric acid and ammonium carbonate if the residual sodium sulfate still contains some carbon. Cool the crucible in a desiccator and weigh. Instead of adding ammonium carbonate and heating further with a flame, the crucible can be placed for 1 h in an oven at about 600 o . Calculate the sodium content of the alcohol-extracted sample by the formula: a x 32.38 % Sodium = b where a is the weight of residual sodium sulfate; and b is the weight of the alcohol-extracted dry sample. Calculate the degree of substitution by the formula: 162 x % sodium Degree of substitution = 2300 - (80 x % sodium)
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 | All food additives | quantum satis | Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex III, Part 1 |
| Annex III, Part 2: Food additives other than carriers in food additives | All food additive preparationsAuthorised as a member of Table 1 of Part 6, listed as "Table 1" Note (1): Except enzymes authorised as food additives. | quantum satis | Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex III, Part 2, via Table 1 of Part 6 |
| Annex III, Part 3: Food additives including carriers in food enzymes | Food enzymesCan be used as a carrier: Yes Note (1): Including enzymes authorised as food additives. | In enzyme preparation: quantum satis In final food except beverages: quantum satis In beverages: quantum satis | Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex III, Part 3 |
| Annex III, Part 4: Food additives including carriers in food flavourings | All flavouringsAuthorised as a member of Table 1 of Part 6, listed as "Table 1" | quantum satis | Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex III, Part 4, via Table 1 of Part 6 |
| Annex III, Part 5, Section A: Food additives added in nutrients except in nutrients intended to be used in foodstuffs listed in Part E, point 01.10, of Annex II and foodstuffs for infants and young children listed in Part E, point 13.1, of Annex II | All nutrientsCan be used as a carrier: Yes | quantum satis | Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex III, Part 5, Section A |
| Annex III, Part 5, Section B: Food additives added in nutrients intended to be used in foodstuffs listed in Part E, point 01.10, of Annex II and foodstuffs for infants and young children listed in Part E, point 13.1, of Annex II | All nutrients (food category: Food for special medical purposes, as defined by Regulation (EU) No 609/2013, intended for infants and young children)Note (1): OJ L, 2025/666, 7.4.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/666/oj. | For uses in nutrient preparations under the condition that the maximum level in foods mentioned in point 13.1.5 of Part E of Annex II is not exceeded Only until 26 April 2027 | Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex III, Part 5, Section B |
Every name it appears under
32 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
E number
- E466
INS number
- 466
CAS registry number
- 9004-32-4
As it appears in regulation
- Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose, cellulose gum
- Sodium carboxymethylcellulose
Other names
- Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose
- SODIUM CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE (CELLULOSE GUM)
Systematic names
- acetic acid;2,3,4,5,6-pentahydroxyhexanal;sodium
Hazard reference values
EFSA and JECFA have both assessed Sodium carboxymethylcellulose and their conclusions are not two comparable figures — EFSA records not allocated, JECFA not specified. An acceptable daily intake is a reference value set by a committee, not a threshold above which harm begins. “Not specified”, “not limited” and “not allocated” are conclusions, not missing data, and they are shown in the words each body used rather than reduced to a number. See where the two committees differ.
| Type | Value | Population | Assessed by | Opinion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADI | not allocated | infants | EFSA FAF | 2022 |
| ADI | not allocated | toddlers | EFSA FAF | 2022 |
| ADI | not specified | — | JECFA | 1989 |
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 2022
In a follow-up for infants and young children, the FAF Panel concluded that technical data support amending the specifications for sodium carboxy methyl cellulose (E 466). No assessment was made for infants below 16 weeks because the additive is reportedly not used in their foods, and it confirmed that the data did not allow an assessment of use in special medical foods for young children.
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 466?
- E 466 is Sodium carboxymethylcellulose. Carboxymethylcellulose, often labelled cellulose gum, is a thickener used in ice cream, sauces, drinks and gluten-free baking. It is among the most common thickeners in processed food.
- What is Sodium carboxymethylcellulose used for in food?
- It is listed as an emulsifier, a thickener and a stabiliser — the role Canada, Codex and the US assign it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Where is Sodium carboxymethylcellulose permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, Australia and New Zealand, Canada, the EU, Great Britain, Japan, South Korea, the US 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 Sodium carboxymethylcellulose vegan?
- Yes. Sodium carboxymethylcellulose is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.
Sources for this page
- anz retrieved 2026-10-17
- ca retrieved 2026-10-17
- eu retrieved 2026-10-18
- gb retrieved 2026-10-18
- jp retrieved 2026-10-18
- kr retrieved 2026-10-18
- ecfr retrieved 2026-10-17
- gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07
- euspecs retrieved 2026-10-18
- jecfaspecs retrieved 2026-09-23
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