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Thickener or gelling agent

E405 (propane-1,2-diol alginate): what it is, its sources, vegan or not

E405 is propane-1,2-diol alginate, a thickener. E405 comes from seaweed. Vegan and vegetarian profiles get Fits you.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 4 sourcesHow we check

Fits you

for a vegan profile

E405=seaweed

What is E405?

E405 (propane-1,2-diol alginate) is a thickener, an additive that thickens a food or gives it the texture of a gel.

What is E405 made from?

E405 comes from seaweed.

  • Seaweed

Is E405 vegan?

Fits you. E405 comes from seaweed. Nothing from an animal.

What the app says to each profile, and the reason it shows.

VeganFits youE405 comes from seaweed. Nothing from an animal.
VegetarianFits youE405 comes from seaweed. Nothing from an animal.

What other names does E405 have on a label?

On a label, E405 can also appear as “INS 405”, “Thickener (405)”, “Thickener (E405)”, “Propane-1,2-diol alginate” or “Propylene glycol alginate”.

Any of these on a pack means E405. The checker reads them all.

E405E 405E-405INS 405Thickener (405)Thickener (E405)Propane-1,2-diol alginatePropylene glycol alginatePGA

What would change the answer for E405?

For E405, only the ingredient list itself: a code the camera cannot read gets Needs one more scan, and the app never guesses a code it cannot see.

Sources: EU, US and Codex additive rules

Where additives are listed and approved. Bravoora reads the source and the diet; it does not rate the hazard.

  1. EU Regulation 1333/2008 on food additives (the E-number list)
  2. EU Regulation 1169/2011, Annex II: the allergen sources a label must name
  3. US FDA: Food Additive Status List
  4. FAO/WHO Codex: General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) online

Names and classes cross-checked with Open Food Facts (Open Database License).

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