Mono And Diglycerides Of Fatty Acid Gms40 E471
Mono and diglycerides of fatty acids at GMS40 grade are the undistilled product of a glycerolysis reaction, containing about 40 percent monoglyceride with the balance made up of diglyceride, a smaller quantity of triglyceride and a little free glycerol and free fatty acid. The material is the highest volume food emulsifier in the world and carries the European food additive number E471, the same entry as the distilled 90 percent grades.
The monoglyceride fraction is the active part. Each monoglyceride molecule carries a long fatty chain and two free hydroxyl groups, so it adsorbs at oil and water interfaces, complexes with the amylose released from gelatinised starch and, in its hydrated crystalline form, stabilises air cells. The diglyceride fraction is only weakly surface active and behaves largely as a fat, contributing body and acting as a crystal modifier. A 40 percent grade is therefore chosen where broad emulsification and fat modification are wanted rather than the concentrated crystal function that distilled grades supply.
The product is a white to cream waxy solid in flake, bead, powder or pastille form when made from hardened palm or soybean fat, and a soft paste or viscous liquid when made from unsaturated oils. It is insoluble in cold water and is normally melted into the fat phase or dispersed hot under shear, and its melting range, typically 55 to 65 degrees Celsius for the hardened grades, follows the fatty acid used.
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- Function
- Emulsifier
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | White to cream waxy flake, bead, powder or pastille |
| Odour | Bland and fatty, free from rancid notes |
| Identification | Glyceride profile conforms by gas chromatography |
| Monoglyceride content | ≥ 40.0% |
| Free glycerol | ≤ 1.5% |
| Acid value | ≤ 4.0 mg KOH/g |
| Iodine value | ≤ 3.0 g I₂/100 g for hydrogenated grades |
| Saponification value | 150 to 180 mg KOH/g |
| Melting point | 55 to 65 °C |
| Loss on drying | ≤ 1.0% |
| Sulphated ash | ≤ 0.5% |
| Lead | ≤ 2 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | ≤ 3 mg/kg |
| Total plate count | ≤ 1000 cfu/g |
Common Markets Grades
Within the undistilled family, monoester content is the defining number, with commercial grades sold at nominal 40, 45, 52 and 60 percent, and buyers specify a minimum rather than a range. Iodine value separates fully hydrogenated saturated grades, which are hard, pale and oxidatively stable, from partially hardened and unsaturated grades that are softer and used as crystal modifiers in fats and spreads.
Physical form is specified alongside assay, flake and bead for melt dosing and free flow, powder for dry mixes and bread improver blends, plasticised block for bakeries dosing by weight, and hydrated pastes at 20 to 30 percent active for wet processes. Self emulsifying grades containing a small quantity of soap or lactylate disperse in warm water without a melting step. Fatty acid source, hydrogenated palm, soybean or sunflower, is declared for kosher, halal, vegetable origin, non genetically modified and sustainability documentation.
Applications
- Bread and bun doughs, where the monoglyceride fraction complexes amylose and delays crumb firming
- Cakes, muffins and batters, contributing to aeration and a fine crumb structure
- Margarine, shortening and bakery fats, modifying crystal habit and giving a plastic consistency
- Ice cream and frozen desserts, promoting the partial fat coalescence that gives dryness and melt resistance
- Non dairy creamers and whipped toppings, holding the emulsion through drying and reconstitution
- Peanut butter and nut spreads, limiting oil separation on standing
- Chewing gum base, acting as a softener and processing aid
- Instant noodles and dehydrated potato products, reducing stickiness through starch complexing
- Confectionery and compound coatings, used as a viscosity and crystallisation modifier
- Extruded snacks and cereals, added to control expansion and reduce die build up
Brands Using Mono And Diglycerides Of Fatty Acid Gms40 E471
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Mono And Diglycerides Of Fatty Acid Gms40 E471 on the ingredient label.
- Warburtons4 Brioche Seeded Burger Buns ↗The ingredient list ends with Emulsifier: E471, the mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids used to soften the crumb of these brioche buns.Label verified 2026-08-31
- CadburyDouble Decker Chocolate Bar 54.5g ↗E471 is named in the bar's emulsifier group alongside E442, soya lecithin and sunflower lecithin.Label verified 2026-08-31
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Mono And Diglycerides Of Fatty Acid Gms40 E471
Top Mono And Diglycerides Of Fatty Acid Gms40 E471 manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States the Food and Drug Administration affirms mono and diglycerides as generally recognised as safe at 21 CFR 184.1505, which permits their use as emulsifiers in food under good manufacturing practice, and commercial material is made against the Food Chemicals Codex monograph for mono and diglycerides, which sets monoester assay, free glycerol, acid value and residue limits.
In the European Union the material is authorised as food additive E471, mono and diglycerides of fatty acids, under the food additives regulation, and is permitted at quantum satis in the great majority of food categories, with purity criteria for free glycerol, acid value, sulphated ash and heavy metals laid down in the additive specifications regulation. JECFA has evaluated mono and diglycerides of fatty acids and maintains a specification monograph, and the substance is listed in the Codex General Standard for Food Additives under the emulsifier, stabiliser and anti foaming functions.
Manufacturing Process
The route is a single reaction step. A refined fat, hardened palm or soybean stearin for the solid grades and a liquid oil for the soft grades, is charged with glycerol into a stirred reactor under a nitrogen blanket and heated to 200 to 250 degrees Celsius in the presence of an alkaline catalyst such as sodium or calcium hydroxide. Fatty acids exchange freely between glycerol molecules and the system approaches an equilibrium distribution whose monoester content is set largely by the ratio of glycerol to fat charged. Raising that ratio raises the monoester content, which is how a plant makes a 40, 52 or 60 percent grade on the same equipment.
When the target assay is reached the batch is cooled, the catalyst is neutralised with phosphoric or citric acid, and the excess free glycerol is separated by settling and vacuum stripping and returned to the process. Because no distillation follows, the finished composition is the reaction composition, and control of the glycerol ratio and the reaction end point is what holds the grade. The melt is deodorised where flavour matters, then given its physical form by flaking on a chilled drum, spray cooling into beads or powder, or pastillation, and is milled, screened and packed under low humidity.
