Propylene glycol alginate (E405)

Names on a label

• E405
• E 405
• Propylene glycol alginate

Labels outside Europe often print the number on its own, without the E.

What it’s used for

The FDA lists these uses in food: emulsifier or emulsifier salt; flavor enhancer; flavoring agent or adjuvant; formulation aid; processing aid; solvent or vehicle; stabilizer or thickener; surface-active agent; surface-finishing agent.¹

What regulators and scientists say

• EFSA set an acceptable daily intake of 55 mg per kilogram of body weight per day (June 27, 2018). For a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, that’s about 3.9 g a day.²
• The FDA permits it as a food additive by regulation (21 CFR 172.210, 172.858, 173.340).¹

An acceptable daily intake is, in EFSA’s words, “an estimate of the amount of a substance in food or drinking water that can be consumed daily over a lifetime without presenting an appreciable risk to health.”³