Not harmful.
The food industry will be the viscous agent is called food thickeners, from now on commonly used thickener varieties, such as gelatin, sodium caseinate, gum arabic, tamarind polysaccharide gum, gelatin, agar, sodium alginate (sodium fucoidan, alginate gum), carrageenan, pectin, xanthan gum, β-cyclodextrin, carboxymethylcellulose sodium (CMC-Na) and so on, basically harmless to humans. Basically, they are harmless to the human body.
Most of these substances are soluble fibers that are not absorbed by the body. The only disadvantage of adding food thickeners to consumers is that its addition makes the substances that should be added less, for example, yogurt, thickening agent added more, the natural milk content is less, businessmen in order to minimize the cost of many unnecessary additives to the food will also add, such as yogurt.
Expanded:
Zhong Kai, an associate researcher at the National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (NCFSRA), said that there are about 30 types of thickening agents in food additives, which can give foods a viscous and suitable texture of the food. The most common thickeners are modified starches and gums, such as sodium carboxymethyl starch, hydroxypropyl starch, guar gum, xanthan gum, pectin and gelatin.
Thickeners may sound mysterious, but a lot of their use is actually inspired by our traditional techniques. For example, experienced cooks can make a large pot of soup look like it has many eggs floating in it by using just one egg, and the secret is in the thickening. The broth from braised fish becomes frozen in the freezer, and the substance that can form the frozen form is called gelatin, which can also be called collagen, and gelatin is also a common thickening agent.
That said, many thickeners come from natural foods, such as sodium alginate and agar. Thickeners are generally very safe, and they count as dietary fiber. Even so-called synthetic, chemical products are rigorously tested for safety before they make it to the dinner table.
People's Daily Online - Thickeners only thicken but not increase "worry"