E-number database
Plant gums and hydrocolloids
Gum arabic, locust bean, guar, xanthan, agar, carrageenan, and pectin are Halal plant or fermentation thickeners. They are not shellac and not gelatin.
- E410 INS 410 Plant gums (arabic, locust bean, tragacanth, gellan, konjac, tara, cassia) Halal These hydrocolloids are tree exudates, seed galactomannans, bacterial gellan, or konjac tuber. They are Halal plant thickeners. plantHalal
- E412 INS 412 Guar Gum Halal Guar gum (E412) is a plant polysaccharide from the endosperm of guar beans (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba). It contains no animal tissue. plantHalal
- E415 INS 415 Xanthan Gum Halal Xanthan gum (E415) is fermented from plant sugar by bacteria. The only open question is what those bacteria were fed — and why it rarely changes it. microbialHalal
- E406 INS 406 Agar-Agar Halal Agar-agar is a gelling agent extracted from seaweed, entirely plant-based, and the classic Halal and vegan substitute for gelatin. plantHalal
- E407 INS 407 Carrageenan (E407) Halal Carrageenan (E407 / E407a, also called Irish moss extract or processed eucheuma seaweed) is a hydrocolloid from red seaweed—not animal gelatin. plantHalal
- E440 INS 440 Pectin Halal Pectin (E440) is a plant polysaccharide extracted from fruit—mainly citrus peel and apple pomace. Standard food-grade pectin contains no animal tissue. plantHalal
How they differ
These thickeners and gelling agents come from plants or from fermentation: agar (E406) and carrageenan (E407) from red seaweed, locust bean gum (E410) and guar gum (E412) from seeds, tragacanth (E413) and gum arabic (E414) from tree sap, xanthan (E415) and gellan (E418) from bacterial fermentation, konjac (E425) from a tuber, and pectin (E440) from fruit. They are all Halal.
Agar, carrageenan, pectin and gellan are the usual gelatin replacements in vegetarian jellies, gummies and desserts. None of them is shellac or gelatin, even when they sit on the same sweet packet; if gelatin is listed, it is there as well.
On the label
- “Gelling agent (pectin)” or “(agar)” is a plant gel, not gelatin.
- “Thickener (xanthan gum)” is fermentation-made and Halal.
- Gummy sweets can list pectin and gelatin together; check for both words.
Frequently asked questions
Is xanthan gum Halal?
Yes. It is made by bacterial fermentation of plant sugar, with no animal input in the product.
Is carrageenan gelatin?
No. It is a seaweed extract and a common plant alternative to gelatin.