EFSA Journal (Jan 2018)

Safety of low‐substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose (L‐HPC) to be used as a food additive in food supplements in tablet form

  • EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS),
  • Maged Younes,
  • Peter Aggett,
  • Fernando Aguilar,
  • Riccardo Crebelli,
  • Birgit Dusemund,
  • Metka Filipič,
  • Maria Jose Frutos,
  • Pierre Galtier,
  • Ursula Gundert‐Remy,
  • Gunter Georg Kuhnle,
  • Claude Lambré,
  • Jean‐Charles Leblanc,
  • Inger Therese Lillegaard,
  • Peter Moldeus,
  • Alicja Mortensen,
  • Agneta Oskarsson,
  • Ivan Stankovic,
  • Ine Waalkens‐Berendsen,
  • Rudolf Antonius Woutersen,
  • Matthew Wright,
  • Lieve Herman,
  • Paul Tobback,
  • Fabiola Pizzo,
  • Camilla Smeraldi,
  • Alexandra Tard,
  • Adamantia Papaioannou,
  • David Gott

DOI
https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2018.5062
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 1
pp. n/a – n/a

Abstract

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Abstract Low‐substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose (L‐HPC) is a low‐substituted poly(hydroxypropyl) ether of cellulose. L‐HPC is proposed for use as a food additive in food supplements in solid form (tablet), with a maximum use level of 20,000 mg/kg and a typical use level of 10,000 mg/kg. Exposure estimates to L‐HPC from its proposed use were calculated for both typical and maximum use levels. Due to the close chemical relationship between L‐HPC and other celluloses recently re‐evaluated by EFSA, the Panel decided to read‐across the biological data already evaluated in the context of the re‐evaluation programme. The Panel concluded that there was no safety concern from the proposed use and use levels of L‐HPC.

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