Catherine Saxelby's Foodwatch | Q. What does EMULSIFIER mean on the label?

Q. What does EMULSIFIER mean on the label?

 

A. Emulsifiers are substances which stabilise mixtures and prevent oil and water from separating. In a salad dressing, for instance, an emulsifier keeps the oil and vinegar mixed so they don't separate into two layers on standing.

Emulsifiers are used in baking to help incorporate fat into the dough and to keep the crumb soft and tender. So they turn up in breads, cakes, cake mixes and pastry.

They help form an emulsion to make mousses, meringues, ice-cream, mayonnaise, salad creams and margarine.

You'll commonly find emulsifiers in things like

• Bread
• Cakes
• Margarine / low fat spread
• Salad dressings
• Ice-cream
• Frozen desserts eg cheesecake, chocolate mud cake
• Coffee whiteners
• Dried potato
• Peanut butter
• Marshmallows
• Chocolate coatings eg Ice Magic
• Caramels
• Toffees
• Chewing gum

Many emulsifiers such as lecithin and glycerides are closely related to fats and are considered quite safe.

Lecithin (code number 322) is one of the most common emulsifiers used. It's extracted from soy and also sold as a food supplement in health food stores. It's rich in B group vitamins and choline.

 

Other common emulsifiers are sorbitan monostearate (491) and mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids (471) and polysorbate 80 (433).

Here's a complete list ALL the approved emulsifiers and their code numbers. Note that the commonly used ones are lecithin 322 and mono-and di-glycerides of fatty acids 471:

322	Lecithin
431	Polyethylene (40) stearate
433	Polysorbate 80
435	Polysorbate 60
436	Polysorbate 65
442	Ammonium salts of phosphatidic acid
444	Sucrose acetate isobutyrate
450	Potassium pyrophosphate or Sodium acid pyrophosphate or Sodium pyrophosphate
452	Potassium polymetaphosphate or Sodium metaphosphate, insoluble or Sodium polyphosphates, glassy
470	Salts of fatty acids
471	Mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids
472a	Acetic and fatty acid esters of glycerol
472b	Lactic and fatty acid esters of glycerol
472c	Citric and fatty acid esters of glycerol
472e	Diacetyltartaric and fatty acid esters of glycerol
472f	Mixed fatty acid esters of glycerol
473	Sucrose esters of fatty acids
475	Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids
476	Polyglycerol esters of interesterified ricinoleic acid
477	Propylene glycol mono - and di-esters or Propylene glycol esters of fatty acids
480	Dioctyl sodium sulphosuccinate
481	Sodium lactylate or sodium oleyl lactylate or sodium stearoyl lactylate
482	Calcium lactylate or Calcium oleyl lactylate or Calcium stearoyl lactylate
491	Sorbitan monostearate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• For a list of all the additives and their code numbers, go to www.foodstandards.gov.au and click on Additives.

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