However, a number of people have contacted me to say they cannot eat food that contains it.
The etherification of cellulose disrupts the hydrogen bonding and the resulting compounds are not ionised and more water soluble. The EFSA ANS Panel (2018) concluded that modified celluloses including ethyl and methyl, hydroxypropyl celluloses, would not be absorbed intact and not fermented in the gastrointestinal tract of animals (rat) or humans; they are excreted essentially unchanged mainly via the faeces (more than 90% of the administrated doses), while only minor amounts of metabolites and derived-products are excreted via urine or expired air (as 14CO2) and there is no indication for accumulation in the body.
The food industry also benefits from HPMC 4000, particularly in the production of food additives and emulsifiersHPMC is also used by treating polymers with hydrochloric acid and then subjecting them to high temperatures. HPMC has been used for decades as an additive in pharmaceuticals and personal care products. HPMC is also used as an ingredient in many foods. Due to semi-synthetic manufacturing procedures, hypromellose is slightly more expensive to produce than gelatin because it is a vegetarian alternative but is a better choice for our bodies.