E407ThickenerGelling agentStabiliser
What Is E407? Carrageenan and Where It Is Used
E407 is the additive number of carrageenan, a thickener and gelling agent made from red seaweed. It is used in ice cream, pudding, flavoured milk and salami.
- In the Besin database
- 476 products
- About 4.1 in every 100 products
- Source
- Plant-based (seaweed)
- Acceptable daily intake (ADI)
- 75 mg/kg body weight per day (temporary, shared by E407 and E407a)
What does E407 do?
It works well with milk proteins, so it keeps cocoa from settling in chocolate milk, forms a gel in puddings, improves the texture of ice cream and binds water in meat products.
How is it made?
Extracted with hot water from red seaweeds such as Chondrus crispus, Eucheuma and Kappaphycus, then purified.
Vegan and halal: Made from seaweed; it is also used in vegan products as a plant alternative to gelatine.
Which products contain E407?
476 of the 11,663 packaged products in the Besin database list E407 (Carrageenan) in their ingredients. The categories where it appears most often:
- Single-Serve Ice Cream138 products
- Tub Ice Cream69 products
- Iced Coffee28 products
- Salami23 products
- Pudding19 products
- Fruit and Flavoured Milk18 products
Numbers as of the database snapshot of October 18, 2026.
Official evaluation
In 2018 EFSA re-evaluated carrageenan (E407) and processed Eucheuma seaweed (E407a) and kept the existing group ADI of 75 mg per kilogram per day on a temporary basis. Because of uncertainties in the data it asked for more data and planned to revisit the value. It found no concern for genotoxicity or carcinogenicity.
Food additives are regulated by the EU food additives regulation (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008) and, in Türkiye, the Turkish Food Codex Regulation on Food Additives (Official Gazette, 30.06.2013, No. 28693). The ADI is the amount estimated to be safe to take every day over a lifetime, given per kilogram of body weight.
Frequently asked questions
Is carrageenan the same as poligeenan?
No. Poligeenan is a low-molecular-weight substance formed when carrageenan is broken down with acid at high temperature, and it is not permitted as an additive. The carrageenan used as E407 is different.
Is E407 vegan?
Yes. Carrageenan comes from red seaweed and contains no animal raw material, which is why it is also used instead of gelatine.
Which products contain E407 most often?
In the Besin database it appears most often in single-serve and tub ice creams, iced coffees, salami, pudding and flavoured milks.
Related additives
Sources
- EFSA (2018): Re-evaluation of carrageenan (E407) and processed Eucheuma seaweed (E407a)
- the EU food additives regulation (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008) and, in Türkiye, the Turkish Food Codex Regulation on Food Additives (Official Gazette, 30.06.2013, No. 28693)
Last reviewed: . This page is for information only and is not medical advice. To report a mistake, write to iletisim@besin.app.