Cellulose Gum (CMC) in Food: What It Is, What It Is Made From and How It Is Used

Cellulose gum is the food-label name for sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), also listed as E466 or INS 466. It is made from plant cellulose, usually wood pulp or cotton linters, and is sold as a white, tasteless powder that dissolves in water.

Food makers use it at low levels, typically 0.1–0.5 % of the recipe, to thicken, to hold water, to keep ingredients from separating and to slow the growth of ice crystals and the staling of bread. It is found in ice cream, baked goods, drinks, sauces, noodles and cake-decorating pastes. It is not a starch, it contains no gluten and it is made without animal-derived raw materials.

What cellulose gum is and what it is made from

Cellulose is the structural fibre of plants. To make cellulose gum, purified cellulose from wood pulp or cotton linters is treated with sodium hydroxide and then reacted with monochloroacetic acid, which attaches carboxymethyl groups to the cellulose chain. These groups make the chain soluble in water. Food grades are then washed with aqueous alcohol until the salt by-products are removed, and are dried and milled to a powder.

The backbone is cellulose and not starch, so human digestive enzymes do not break it down as they break down starch. In the body it behaves as a soluble dietary fibre.

What cellulose gum does in food

• Thickens water-based foods and gives body without adding taste.
• Holds water, which keeps bread, cakes and tortillas soft for longer.
• Keeps particles and pulp suspended and stops sauces and fillings from releasing water.
• Keeps ice crystals small in ice cream and frozen desserts.
• Protects milk protein from clumping in acidic drinks.
• Forms a film, which makes sugar pastes firmer and reduces the oil that fried foods take up.

Uses and typical levels by food

CMC in baking and cake decorating

In doughs and batters, CMC binds water. The dough takes up more water, the crumb stays soft for longer and the loaf stales more slowly. A typical level is 0.2–0.5 % of the flour weight; more than that can make the dough sticky. In gluten-free baking, CMC supplies some of the structure and gas-holding that gluten would give. Blend the CMC with the flour or the sugar before the liquid is added.

Cake decorators know CMC as CMC powder or as tylose powder, which is a trade name. Kneaded into fondant at about 1 % of its weight, often given as one level teaspoon per 250 g, it turns the fondant into a firmer modelling paste that holds its shape and dries faster, for figures, flowers and toppers. A pinch of CMC dissolved in a little water makes an edible glue.

CMC in ice cream, drinks and dairy

In ice cream, CMC is a stabiliser: it keeps ice crystals small and slows the meltdown, typically at 0.1–0.2 % of the mix together with a little carrageenan. In acidified milk drinks, a high-DS Type 9 grade adsorbs onto the milk protein and keeps it from clumping and settling at a pH of about 4. In juices and other drinks it adds mouthfeel and keeps pulp in suspension.

• CMC in ice cream: function, dosage and how to use it
• Food CMC Type 6 vs Type 9: which grade for acidified milk drinks

Is cellulose gum vegan, gluten-free or a starch?

• Vegan and vegetarian: cellulose gum is made from plant cellulose and from mineral or synthetic reagents, without animal-derived raw materials. Whether a finished food is vegan depends on its other ingredients.
• Gluten: it is made from wood pulp or cotton, not from wheat, barley or rye, and contains no gluten. It is widely used to give structure to gluten-free bread.
• Starch: no. Cellulose and starch are both chains of glucose, but the units are linked differently, and cellulose gum is not digested as starch is.
• Halal and kosher: these depend on the certification of the individual manufacturer and product, so ask the supplier for the certificate.

How cellulose gum is regulated

Cellulose gum is an authorised food additive in the major markets: E466 in the European Union and INS 466 in the Codex Alimentarius system. In the United States, sodium carboxymethylcellulose is generally recognised as safe (GRAS) under 21 CFR 182.1745. JECFA, the joint FAO and WHO expert committee, has set its acceptable daily intake as “not specified”, and EFSA re-evaluated the cellulose additives in 2018 and concluded that no numerical acceptable daily intake was needed. In China it is covered by GB 1886.232-2016. The permitted uses and maximum levels vary by country and by food category.

Cellulose gum compared with carrageenan, xanthan gum and guar gum

Carrageenan is extracted from red seaweed and forms gels, especially with milk protein; cellulose gum is made from plant cellulose and thickens without gelling. In ice cream and chocolate milk the two are often used together. Xanthan gum is made by fermentation and stays stable in acid and salt, which suits dressings and sauces. Guar gum is milled from a seed and thickens at a low cost, but its quality and price vary with the harvest.

How to choose a food-grade CMC

• Purity: food grades are ≥ 99.5 % pure on a dry basis, with limits for heavy metals and microbiology.
• Type: Type 6 (DS 0.75–0.90) for neutral foods such as ice cream, bakery and sauces; Type 9 (DS ≥ 0.90) for acidic and salty foods.
• Viscosity: low-viscosity grades for drinks, high-viscosity grades where body is wanted at a low dose.
• Particle form: an instant grade if lumps are a problem on your line.
• Documents: a certificate of analysis with every lot, and the standard your market requires.

Sentai food-grade CMC

Sentai makes 13 food grades of sodium CMC in Xiangtan, China, in Type 6, Type 9 and a high-DS grade, from 25–400 mPa·s as a 2 % solution to more than 5,000 mPa·s as a 1 % solution. Every grade is ≥ 99.5 % pure and is released against GB 1886.232-2016, with arsenic and lead each ≤ 2 mg/kg. Free 100–300 g samples are available with a certificate of analysis.

• Food-grade CMC: grades and specifications
• CMC-Na, carmellose sodium, cellulose gum, E466: the names explained
• CMC vs HPMC vs xanthan gum