Mono- & Diglycerides of Fatty Acids
What it does
Emulsifier in bread, spreads, ice cream.
How it's made
From glycerol and fatty acids (plant or animal).
This entry refers to mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, the same widely-used emulsifier family as E471, employed to combine fats and water and improve the texture and shelf life of products such as bread, spreads and desserts.
Like all mono- and diglycerides, they are produced from fats and oils by reacting them with additional glycerol (glycerolysis) using heat and a catalyst, which rearranges the fatty acids so that glycerol molecules end up carrying just one or two of them instead of three. The mixture can be refined and the monoglyceride portion concentrated.
The starting fat may be vegetable or animal in origin, and the finished emulsifier is a waxy material standardised for its performance. It behaves as a gentler, fat-like emulsifier because it is chemically so close to the triglycerides that make up normal dietary fat.
Possible reactions
Generally safe; may be animal-derived (vegan concern).