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Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

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

Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471) refers to 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.

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).

Synthesis

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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References

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  1. ^ "Food and Feed Information Portal Database | FIP". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Toxicological evaluation of some food additives including anticaking agents, antimicrobials, antioxidants, emulsifiers and thickening agents". World Health Organization.
  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. S2CID 4061326.
  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. S2CID 84808531.
  5. ^ "Sources of Food Ingredients: Mono- and Diglycerides". Food Ingredient Facts. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  6. ^ Clarke, Chris (2012). The Science of Ice Cream. Royal Society of Chemistry. p. 55. ISBN 9781849731270. 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 ?". Food-Info.net. Netherlands: Wageningen University. Retrieved 4 September 2015. 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" (PDF). The Vegan Society. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  9. ^ "301. Mono- and diglycerides (WHO Food Additives Series 5)". www.inchem.org. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  10. ^ "You May Be Getting More Mono- and Diglycerides Than You Should". Livestrong.com. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Monoglycerides: What are they, risks, and who should avoid them". www.medicalnewstoday.com. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  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". www.who.int. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Re-evaluation of mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids (E 471) as food additives | EFSA". www.efsa.europa.eu. 10 November 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  14. ^ "Mono- and diglycerides". Center for Science in the Public Interest. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  15. ^ Sellem, L; Srour, B; Javaux, G; Chazelas, E; Chassaing, B; Viennois, E; Debras, C; Druesne-Pecollo, N; Esseddik, Y; Szabo de Edelenyi, F; Arnault, N; Agaësse, C; De Sa, A; Lutchia, R; Huybrechts, I; Scalbert, A; Pierre, F; Coumoul, X; Julia, C; Kesse-Guyot, E; Allès, B; Galan, P; Hercberg, S; Deschasaux-Tanguy, M; Touvier, M (February 2024). "Food additive emulsifiers and cancer risk: Results from the French prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort". PLOS Medicine. 21 (2): e1004338. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1004338. PMC 10863884. PMID 38349899.
  16. ^ https://www.fda.gov/media/99218/download [bare URL PDF]
  17. ^ McGrath, Maggie (6 September 2018). "Fruit's Fountain Of Youth: Apeel's Edible Produce Coating Could Slay Food Waste And Save Supermarkets Billions". Forbes. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
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