E471 is used in many foods. We’ll show you what you should know about this additive and why it can cause confusion, especially for vegans.
E471 is one of the food additives and stands for Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids. In particular, they serve as emulsifiers for components containing water and fat. This is how they cause water and fat to combine. E471 also serves to make food last longer and to protect it from drying out.
The additive also occurs as a compound in nature. For use in food, however, it is produced by chemical processes. For this, the food industry usually uses vegetable fats, in particular soybean oil. However, it can also happen that animal fats such as lard, beef or milk fat are used. This can sometimes be difficult to recognize for vegetarians or vegans.
In the following we will show you what you can use as a guide.
What foods is E471 found in?
No maximum quantity limit has been set for the use of E471 in food. However, only as much of the substance may be used as is necessary for the desired effect. E471 is particularly found in the following foods:
- bread and baked goods
- jamjellies and jams
- cured meats
- chocolate products
- cream products
- quick cook rice
- Baby food
- ready meals
How serious is E471?
The mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are considered harmless to health. That’s why there isn’t one for them ADI value. This value states the maximum daily amount you can consume of a certain substance without health risks being associated with it. However, it is possible that the additive could cause an allergic reaction in some people. In addition, in some cases, E471 consists of genetically modified soybeans. You can find out more about this topic here: Genetic engineering simply explained: Methods, criticism and legal situation regarding green genetic engineering.
This is how you can identify foods with E471
If foods contain E471, then this usually has to be declared in the list of ingredients. You can recognize this from the corresponding E number or from the written out form “Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids”. It gets more complicated if you want to know whether the substances are of plant, animal or genetically modified origin. Here are a few ways to find out, or avoid E471 altogether:
- In some cases, the list of ingredients specifically states that the mono- and diglycerides are of plant origin.
- Buy organic products. These must not contain E471 and many other additives. You can also do chemical-synthetic pesticides and avoid artificial fertilizers if you use organic quality.
- If a product carries the vegan seal and contains E471, then you can assume that the product only contains the plant-based version of E471.
- If you would like to use a product with E471 more often, but are not sure about the origin, you can contact the manufacturer directly. This should give you reliable information.
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