Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

Short description: Emulsifier

"E471" redirects here. For the road, see European route E471.

Monoglyceride of a fatty acid, in this example with a saturated fatty acid residue (blue marked). Diglyceride, in this example with a saturated fatty acid residue (highlighted blue) and an unsaturated fatty acid residue (highlighted green).

Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471) are a naturally occurring class of food additive composed of diglycerides and monoglycerides used as an emulsifier in foods such as infant formula, fresh pasta, jams and jellies, chocolate, creams, baked goods, and more.[1] It is also used as a fruit coating agent. This mixture is also sometimes referred to as partial glycerides.

## Contents

* 1 Synthesis
* 2 Dietary aspects
* 3 Metabolism
* 4 Effects on health
* 5 Other uses
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 8 External links

## Synthesis

Monoglycerides and diglycerides are types of glycerides both naturally present in food fats,[2] including various seed oils;[3] however, their concentration is usually low and industrial production is primarily achieved by a glycerolysis reaction between triglycerides (fats/oils) and glycerol,[4] followed by purification via solvent-free molecular distillation. The raw materials of mono- and diglycerides may be either vegetable or animal fats and oils.

## Dietary aspects

E471 is mainly produced from vegetable oils (such as soybean, grapeseed, canola, sunflower, cottonseed, coconut, and palm oil) and plant pomace such as grape pomace or tomato pomace[5]), although animal fats are sometimes used and cannot be completely excluded as being present in the product.[6] The fatty acids from each source are chemically identical.[7] The Vegan Society, which discourages eating animal-based foods, flags E471 as potentially animal based.[8]

The World Health Organization's (WHO) report on the toxicological evaluation of mono- and diglycerides states that, "Food fats are in the main triglycerides. However, many of them have been shown to contain small amounts of diglycerides and monoglycerides. The amount present is commonly in the region of 1%. There is some evidence also that further amounts of these partial glycerides may be formed during the preparation of certain foods. Therefore, apart from any addition of these substances to food for technological purposes, they will always be present in the food as consumed."[9] Mono- and diglycerides may contain small amounts of trans fat.[10][11]

## Metabolism

Mono- and diglycerides are naturally digested as part of normal lipid metabolism (i.e., the natural digestion of dietary fats and oils).

## Effects on health

The safety of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids has been assessed by several regulatory authorities. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) has set an "acceptable daily intake" (ADI) as "not limited" due to the safety of these ingredients.[12] In 2017, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) re-evaluated the safety of mono- and diglycerides and concluded that there is no need to establish a numerical ADI and there is no safety concern for the reported food uses.[13]

Additionally, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer interest group that previously campaigned for the elimination of sulfite preservatives in fresh foods, as well as campaigned to label -- and eventually eliminate -- artificial trans fat found in partially hydrogenated oils) ranks mono- and diglycerides as "safe" in their Chemical Cuisine Ratings.[14]

A French observational study of several food additives published in 2024 suggested a correlation but not a causation between a higher intake of E471 in highly processed foods and increased risk of cancer by 15%, particularly breast cancer (24%) and prostate cancer (46%).[15] The study also notes, that "Cancer is a multifactorial pathology, thus as expected, one specific nutritional factor (here, exposure to an emulsifier) does not drastically increase absolute risks per se."

## Other uses

In the late 2010s, the company Apeel Sciences entered the market in parts of South America, China, and Japan with monoacylglycerols as an alternative to fruit waxing and plastic films to prevent withering and conserving fruit and vegetables for transport and storage.[16][17]

## See also

* Polyglycerol polyricinoleate
* Monoglyceride
* Diglyceride

## References

1. ↑ "Food and Feed Information Portal Database | FIP". https://ec.europa.eu/food/food-feed-portal/screen/food-additives/search/details/POL-FAD-IMPORT-3176.
2. ↑ "Toxicological evaluation of some food additives including anticaking agents, antimicrobials, antioxidants, emulsifiers and thickening agents". World Health Organization. https://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v05je44.htm.
3. ↑ Flickinger, Brent D.; Matsuo, Noboru (February 2003). "Nutritional characteristics of DAG oil". Lipids 38 (2): 129–132. doi:10.1007/s11745-003-1042-8. PMID 12733744.
4. ↑ Sonntag, Norman O. V. (1982). "Glycerolysis of fats and methyl esters — Status, review and critique". Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society 59 (10): 795A–802A. doi:10.1007/BF02634442. ISSN 0003-021X.
5. ↑ "Sources of Food Ingredients: Mono- and Diglycerides" (in en-US). https://www.foodingredientfacts.org/facts-on-food-ingredients/sources-of-food-ingredients/mono-diglycerides/.
6. ↑ Clarke, Chris (2012). The Science of Ice Cream. Royal Society of Chemistry. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-84973-127-0. "Mono-/diglycerides are made by partially hydrolysing vegetable fats, such as soybean oil, and palm oil. (Animal-fat-based emulsifiers are not commonly used because they are not suitable for vegetarian and certain religious diets)."
7. ↑ "Which E-numbers and additives are from animal origin ?". Netherlands: Wageningen University. http://www.food-info.net/uk/qa/qa-fi45.htm. "Chemically the fatty acids from animal or plant origin are identical. Therefore the origin is of no importance for the function in the food. Producers thus normally choose the cheapest oils to make these fats. This is generally some vegetable oil. However, animal fats can not be excluded."
8. ↑ "Vegan Catering For All". p. 12. https://www.vegansociety.com/sites/default/files/VeganCateringForAll.pdf.
9. ↑ "301. Mono- and diglycerides (WHO Food Additives Series 5)". https://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v05je44.htm.
10. ↑ "You May Be Getting More Mono- and Diglycerides Than You Should" (in en). https://www.livestrong.com/article/445850-what-is-bad-about-mono-diglycerides/.
11. ↑ "Monoglycerides: What are they, risks, and who should avoid them" (in en). 2018-05-25. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321912.
12. ↑ "Toxicological evaluation of certain food additives with a review of general principles and of specifications: seventeenth report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives" (in en). https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9241205393.
13. ↑ "Re-evaluation of mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids (E 471) as food additives | EFSA" (in en). 2017-11-10. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/5045.
14. ↑ "Mono- and diglycerides" (in en). https://www.cspinet.org/article/mono-and-diglycerides.
15. ↑ Sellem, L; Srour, B; Javaux, G; Chazelas, E; Chassaing, B; Viennois, E; Debras, C; Druesne-Pecollo, N et al. (February 2024). "Food additive emulsifiers and cancer risk: Results from the French prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort.". PLOS Medicine 21 (2). doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1004338. PMID 38349899.
16. ↑ "GRAS notification for mixture of monoacylglycerides". https://www.fda.gov/media/99218/download.
17. ↑ McGrath, Maggie (2018-09-06). "Fruit's Fountain Of Youth: Apeel's Edible Produce Coating Could Slay Food Waste And Save Supermarkets Billions". https://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2018/09/06/fruits-fountain-of-youth-apeels-edible-produce-coating-could-slay-food-waste-and-save-supermarkets-billions/.

## External links

* Food-Info.net: E-numbers: E471

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Chemistry:Mono-_and_diglycerides_of_fatty_acids&oldid=4038130"