Commission authorises curdlan as E 424 additive across 34 food categories

The European Commission has authorised curdlan as a food additive in the European Union, assigning it the E-number E 424 and permitting its use as a gelling agent, firming agent, stabiliser and thickener in 34 food categories. The decision is set out in Commission Regulation (EU) 2026/2298 of 16 October 2026, published in the Official Journal of the European Union (L series) on 19 October 2026. The regulation amends Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives and the Annex to Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 on additive specifications.

The measure closes a decade-long authorisation procedure. An application for the use of curdlan across a broad variety of food categories was submitted to the Commission in September 2016 and then circulated to Member States under Regulation (EC) No 1331/2008, which governs the common authorisation procedure for additives, enzymes and flavourings. The European Food Safety Authority delivered its opinion on 9 September 2024, published in the EFSA Journal (2024;22:e8985). Despite limitations in the available dataset, the authority applied the margin-of-exposure approach and concluded that there is no safety concern at the proposed uses and use levels. The text was backed by the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, and signed in Brussels by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

A fermentation-derived polysaccharide with unusual gelling behaviour

Curdlan is a high molecular weight linear polysaccharide of β-1,3-linked glucose units, produced by pure-culture fermentation from the non-pathogenic, non-toxicogenic Rhizobium radiobacter biovar 1 strain NTK-u. Its commercial value lies in a rare thermal behaviour: it forms irreversible “high-set” gels when an aqueous suspension is heated above 80 °C, and reversible “low-set” gels when heated between 55 °C and 65 °C and then cooled to 40 °C or below.

According to the regulation, the additive is intended to improve texture, water-holding capacity and thermal stability in products such as noodles, dumplings, processed meat, fish pastes, cakes, sauces, soups, processed tofu and snacks. The Commission notes that curdlan is being added to the Union list of food additives for the first time, which is why specifications had to be written into Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 at the same time.

Thirty-four categories, from processed cheese to protein products

Annex I of the regulation inserts E 424 into Part B of Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 and sets maximum permitted levels in Part E. The headline figures:

• 80 000 mg/kg for protein products (category 12.9), the highest level granted.
• 50 000 mg/kg for fat and oil emulsions, dried fruit and vegetables, fruit and vegetables in vinegar, oil or brine, canned fruit and vegetables, fruit and vegetable preparations, nut butters and spreads, processed potato products, other confectionery and decorations and coatings.
• 40 000 mg/kg for processed cheese.
• 30 000 mg/kg for edible ices, cocoa and chocolate products, processed fish and fishery products, mustard, sauces, salads and sandwich spreads, and desserts.
• 20 000 mg/kg for breakfast cereals, dry pasta, potato gnocchi, fillings of stuffed pasta, noodles, bread and rolls, fine bakery wares, meat preparations, heat-treated meat products, casings and coatings for meat, processed eggs and egg products.
• 10 000 mg/kg for other fruit and vegetable spreads, chewing gum, soups and broths, and potato-, cereal-, flour- or starch-based snacks.
• 5 000 mg/kg for decorations, coatings and fillings, and for batters.

Several authorisations carry conditions. E 424 may not be used in jelly mini-cups or to produce dehydrated foods intended to rehydrate on ingestion; in canned or bottled fruit and vegetables it is limited to chestnuts in liquid; in dry pasta to gluten-free and hypoproteic-diet products; in potato gnocchi it excludes the fresh refrigerated version; in cocoa and chocolate it applies only to energy-reduced or no-added-sugar products; and in meat preparations it excludes bifteki, soutzoukaki, kebap, gyros and souvlaki, while heat-treated meat products exclude foie gras in its various forms.

Purity limits and the compliance burden

Annex II of the regulation writes the specification monograph for E 424 into Regulation (EU) No 231/2012. Curdlan is defined as an odourless or almost odourless white to nearly white powder, insoluble in water and ethanol, with CAS number 54724-00-4 and average molecular weight of not less than 1,4 × 10⁶ Da. The assay must be at least 80 % calculated as anhydrous glucose, gel strength not less than 600 g/cm², pH between 6,0 and 7,5 in a 1 % aqueous suspension, loss on drying not more than 10 %, and residue on ignition and sulfated ash not more than 6 % each.

Contaminant ceilings are tight: arsenic not more than 0,05 mg/kg, lead not more than 0,2 mg/kg, methanol not more than 10 mg/kg and nitrogen not more than 0,3 %. Microbiological criteria require a total plate count of no more than 1 000 CFU/g, with coliforms and Escherichia coli absent in 1 g.

What it means for operators

The regulation enters into force on the twentieth day following publication, which places the applicable date at 8 November 2026, and it is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. For manufacturers, E 424 becomes a legally available texturising option in a market where gelling and firming agents are otherwise dominated by gelatins, gums and phosphates. For compliance teams, the practical work starts now: reformulated recipes must respect category-specific ceilings and conditions, and labels must declare the additive as E 424 in the ingredient list.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, L series, 19 October 2026, 2026/2298, regulations (official reference: Regulation (EU) 2026/2298).