E413Emulsifier · Stabiliser · Thickener
Tragacanth
What the research shows
PrototypeNot enough
published research on this page yet
1 health finding on this page so far · See the findings
A natural gum from the dried sap of Middle Eastern plants.
It thickens, stabilises and holds together mixtures in food.
Written from English Wikipedia1
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- EU permitted
What research says
Studies in people
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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.
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 two findings in people. 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.
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.
- 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