E413Emulsifier · Stabiliser · Thickener
Tragacanth
What the research shows
No concerns
none of the findings here link it to harm
A natural gum from the dried sap of Middle Eastern plants.
It thickens, stabilises and holds together mixtures in food.1
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- EU permitted
What research says
Studies in people
-
No harm found
Gut bacteria and digestion2
Tragacanth is partly broken down by gut bacteria, and people who ate large amounts for weeks tolerated it well.
-
No harm found
Digestive tolerance3
In five men, taking gum tragacanth daily for 21 days caused no bad effects.
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.
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UN and WHO food additive experts (JECFA), 1985
No daily limit needed (“ADI not specified”, JECFA’s term for very low toxicity).
Regulatory status
Checked Sep 2026-
United States Permitted FDA 21 CFR 184.1351
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European Union Permitted EUR-Lex Reg. (EC) 1333/2008
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United Kingdom Permitted FSA retained EU law
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 checkProducts
The 6 most-scanned of 324 products on Open Food Facts that list tragacanth.
- Vanilla Bean Paste Nielsen Massey · 60 ml 2 additives
- Tesco Curly The Caterpillar Cake Tesco 18 additives
- CARAMELISED BISCUIT & WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE MOCHI little moons · 4 x 30 g 7 additives
- Monster Energy Rio Punch Monster · 500 g 9 additives
- Fiona Cairns Seasonal GS Fairy Cakes Fiona cairns 11 additives
- Fisherman original 2 additives
References
- 1Tragacanth. Wikipedia. Accessed September 26, 2026. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- 2Mortensen A, Aguilar F, Crebelli R, et al. Re-evaluation of tragacanth (E 413) as a food additive. EFSA J. 2017;15(6):e04789. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2017.4789
- 3Eastwood MA, Brydon WG, Anderson DM. The effects of dietary gum tragacanth in man. Toxicol Lett. 1984;21(1):73-81. doi:10.1016/0378-4274(84)90226-1