Qingdao Tianya Chemical Co Ltd

Cellulose gum is found added to juices, beverages, salad dressings, soups, processed cheeses, fruit products and emulsified meat products. Because cellulose gum can bind up to 15 times more water in weight, Cellulose gum is used as a thickener and stabilizer. Cellulose gum is also used to enhance the mouthfeel of foods and also as a moisturizer. Cellulose gum is cost effective and versatile. Cellulose gum also increases viscosity of foods.Crosslinked carboxymethyl cellulose (also known as croscarmellose) is used as a binding agent in pills, typically in artificial sweetener pills.

Cellulose gum is also used in petroleum drilling industry to maintain water content of mud. Cellulose gum is also used in toothpastes, K-Y jelly, detergents, water-soluble paints, laxatives and diet pills. In insoluble resin form, this ingredient is used in protein purification columns in biotechnology. Cellulose gum is also used in ice packs and to make carbon nanotubes. Cellulose gum is also used in the paper industry. 

Sodium Carboxymethyl cellulose can interfere with bowel movements especially if high viscosity Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose Food Grade is added to the diet. Experimental evidence from mammalian animals shows that high viscosity cellulose gum can retard the movement of digested food matter through the colon and can possibly result on strain on the large intestine during passage of stool. In rats, the addition of Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose as a soluble fiber additive to the diet can lead to extra retention of water in the colon and create watery stools. Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose is indigestible and therefore is not absorbed in human body. Its side effects usually can be gastrointestinal disturbances as seen from experiments on other mammals. However, in small quantities it is deemed to be safe for human consumption.

Cellulose is reacted with chloroacetic acid in the presence of an alkali as a catalyst to produce Food Grade sodium carboxymethyl cellulose. Cellulose gum is a modified form of cellulose wherein a carboxymethyl (-CH2-COOH) unit is attached to hydroxyl groups from some glucose units. Cellulose gum is also known as Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC) and is often used as a sodium salt. It is identified by the Codex Alimentarius number E466. Cellulose gum is also called purified CMC or sodium carboxymethyl cellulose. It is synthesized by adding an alkali catalyst, like chloroacetic acid, to cellulose. The organic acids render the cellulose soluble and chemically reactive. It can be obtained naturally from the cell walls of plants, especially cotton seeds and wood pulp. There are several grades of cellulose produced. Technical grades and semi-pure grades are not fit for human consumption. Only purified cellulose can be used for human consumption in food industry.