Is e413 vegan?

E413 is the European food additive code for tragacanth, also known as gum tragacanth. It is a natural gum obtained from the dried sap of several species of thorny legumes in the genus Astragalus, primarily Astragalus gummifer, which are native to regions in the Middle East. Producers harvest the substance by making incisions in the stems and roots of the wild shrubs, allowing the sap to flow out and dry naturally into hard ribbons before it is collected, cleaned, and milled into a fine powder.

In the food industry, E413 functions as a thickening agent, stabilizer, and emulsifier. It frequently appears in confectionery products such as fondant, floral modeling pastes, and lozenges, as well as in salad dressings, dessert sauces, beverage syrups, and certain processed dairy alternatives.

E413 is vegan because it is derived entirely from plant tissue. Its collection and commercial processing rely solely on physical harvesting, drying, and grinding without the use of animal-derived processing aids or raw materials, meaning it contains no animal products.