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Glossary

What is microcrystalline cellulose?

Written by the Full Measure editorial team, which sells supplements. Approved for publication by the Full Measure owners. Updated .

Drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed below. How we write these

Quick answer

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is purified plant cellulose, partly broken down by processing wood or other plant pulp with mineral acid. It is a white, odorless powder used as a filler and binder in tablets and capsules. The body does not absorb it, and it passes through the gut largely intact.1,2

Key facts

  • EU specifications define MCC as purified, partially depolymerized cellulose made from alpha cellulose pulp of fibrous plants, processed with mineral acids.1
  • MCC is one of the most important tableting excipients because it binds well when dry, which lets tablets be made by direct compression.2
  • EFSA's 2018 re-evaluation of celluloses found no safety concern at reported uses and saw no need for a numerical acceptable daily intake.1
  • USDA organic rules prohibit microcrystalline cellulose in processed products labeled organic.3

How it is made

Cellulose is the fiber that gives plants their structure. To make MCC, manufacturers take purified alpha cellulose from plant pulp and partly break it down with mineral acid. The chains that remain are shorter and crystalline, typically fewer than 400 sugar units long, and the result is a white, odorless powder that swells in water without dissolving.1

EFSA's opinion lists cellulose gel as another name for it.1

Why it is in supplements

In tablets, MCC holds pressed powder together, so a tablet can be made by pressing a dry blend directly. Reviews call it one of the most important tableting excipients for that reason. It also adds bulk as a filler, and blends built on MCC can combine filler, binder, disintegrant, lubricant and glidant roles in one ingredient.2,4

MCC is often paired with flow aids. A 2004 laboratory study used it as the test powder to show how colloidal silicon dioxide makes a powder flow more freely.5

What happens when you swallow it

Celluloses are not absorbed. They are excreted intact in stool, although gut bacteria in animals and people can ferment some microcrystalline and modified cellulose. EFSA looked at intake from all uses combined and found no safety concern at reported uses and levels.1

On a supplement label MCC appears among the other ingredients, because it is not a dietary ingredient.6

Questions people ask

Is microcrystalline cellulose safe?

EFSA's 2018 review of celluloses, MCC included, found no safety concern at reported uses and use levels and did not set a numerical daily limit. Celluloses pass through the gut without being absorbed.1

Is microcrystalline cellulose a fiber supplement?

Cellulose is plant fiber and is not absorbed, but in capsules and tablets MCC is there as a filler and binder. Its job is to make the product, not to supply fiber.1,2

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Sources

  1. EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food. Re-evaluation of celluloses E 460(i), E 460(ii), E 461, E 462, E 463, E 464, E 465, E 466, E 468 and E 469 as food additives. EFSA J. 2018;16(1):e05047. Opened 2026-10-07.
  2. Thoorens G, Krier F, Leclercq B, Carlin B, Evrard B. Microcrystalline cellulose, a direct compression binder in a quality by design environment: a review. Int J Pharm. 2014;473(1-2):64-72. Opened 2026-10-07.
  3. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 7, Section 205.605: Nonagricultural substances allowed in or on processed products labeled organic or made with organic ingredients. eCFR, current as of October 2026. Opened 2026-10-07.
  4. Zhao H, Zhao L, Lin X, Shen L. An update on microcrystalline cellulose in direct compression: Functionality, critical material attributes, and co-processed excipients. Carbohydr Polym. 2022;278:118968. Opened 2026-10-07.
  5. Jonat S, Hasenzahl S, Gray A, Schmidt PC. Mechanism of glidants: investigation of the effect of different colloidal silicon dioxide types on powder flow by atomic force and scanning electron microscopy. J Pharm Sci. 2004;93(10):2635-2644. Opened 2026-10-07.
  6. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Section 101.4: Food; designation of ingredients. eCFR, current as of October 2026. Opened 2026-10-07.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.