Open Food Labels. Search 867 ingredients⌘K

E460Carrier · Emulsifier · Humectant · Stabiliser · Thickener

Cellulose

What the research shows

Concerning

in studies of people

A natural substance found in plants.

It thickens foods, keeps them mixed and stops powder clumping.12

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • EU permitted

What research says

Studies in people

  • Concern

    Mineral levels in the body4

    In men, eating cellulose made calcium and zinc leave the body in stool, and blood levels dropped.

Animal and lab studies only

  • No harm found

    Solubility specification review6

    Scientists looked at how microcrystalline cellulose dissolves and said the proposed change raises no safety concern.

  • Benefit

    Heavy metal absorption7

    Cellulose may help soak up cadmium from food in the gut, though this was only tested in lab dishes.

Study type not stated

  • Open question

    Gut and blood fat effects5

    Microcrystalline cellulose is used in many foods and may affect gut health and blood fats, but scientists still have questions.

How it’s made and used

  • Bowel habits and constipation3

    In women, cellulose changed stool weight and softness in those with normal bowel habits, but not in constipated women.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

What expert reviews concluded

Expert panels that weigh all the research. Shown for context: the signal at the top does not count them.

Regulatory status

Checked Sep 2026

Status reflects the named register on the date checked. It is not a safety rating. A country appears here once we've found this ingredient on its official list.

How we check

Products

The 6 most-scanned of 8,374 products on Open Food Facts that list cellulose.

  • Ciabatta Schär · 200 g 3 additives
  • Cocktail sausages Quorn · 180 g 6 additives
  • Propolis 1500 Now Foods · 100 capsule 4 additives
  • medaglioni basil & pine nuts ITALIAMO · 250 g 2 additives
  • Grated Parmesan Cheese Kraft · 24 oz 1 additive
  • Kabanosy drobiowe Tarczyński 4 additives

References

  1. 1Cellulose: ingredient taxonomy entry. Open Food Facts.
  2. 2Cellulose. Wikipedia. Accessed September 26, 2026. CC BY-SA 4.0.
  3. 3Danjo K, Sakamoto J, Iwane S, et al. Effects of cellulose supplementation on fecal consistency and fecal weight. Dig Dis Sci. 2008;53(3):712-8. doi:10.1007/s10620-007-9938-6
  4. 4Ismail-Beigi F, Reinhold JG, Faraji B, Abadi P. Effects of cellulose added to diets of low and high fiber content upon the metabolism of calcium, magnesium, zinc and phosphorus by man. J Nutr. 1977;107(4):510-8. doi:10.1093/jn/107.4.510
  5. 5Nsor-Atindana J, Chen M, Goff HD, Zhong F, Sharif HR, Li Y. Functionality and nutritional aspects of microcrystalline cellulose in food. Carbohydr Polym. 2017;172:159-174. doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2017.04.021
  6. 6EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS). Safety of the proposed amendment of the specifications for microcrystalline cellulose (E 460(i)) as a food additive. EFSA J. 2017;15(2):e04699. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2017.4699
  7. 7Xu F, Xue W, Li Y, et al. Cadmium adsorption by plant versus bacterial cellulose during simulated food exposure and gastrointestinal digestion. Int J Biol Macromol. 2025;332(Pt 1):148330. doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.148330