Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food on a request from the Commission related to an application on the use of cassia gum as a food additive

Cassia gum of the old specifications was not mutagenic or clastogenic in mammalian cells. Based on the results of recent genotoxicity studies, cassia gum, prepared by the newly defined production method, did not increase the number revertants in any of the four Ames tester strains (S. typhimurium), nor in the E. coli WP2uvrA test strain both in the presence and absence of S9-metabolic activation. It is concluded that cassia gum complying with the newly defined specifications does not give rise to safety concern with respect to genotoxicity. Long-term carcinogenicity studies on cassia gum were not available. Other related galactomannan gums, including locust (carob) bean, guar gum and tara gum were not carcinogenic when fed to mice and rats. Given that cassia gum is not genotoxic, and that many other related galactomannan gums are not carcinogenic, the Panel does not consider long-term carcinogenicity studies essential for the safety assessment of cassia gum. The toxicological data on cassia gum are insufficient to establish an acceptable daily intake (ADI). On the other hand, the existing data do not give reason for concern. The Panel wishes to stress the importance of inspection of the seeds for cassia gum preparation for the presence of seeds of C. occidentalis which has to be less than 0.1% by selection based on color and shape. Given these results from the toxicological studies, the very low absorption of cassia gum and the fact that, if hydrolysed at all, cassia gum would be degraded to compounds that will enter normal metabolic pathways, the Panel concludes that the use of cassia gum complying with the newly defined specifications as an additive for the proposed food uses is not of safety concern.