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.

Common uses for emulsifiers in food products

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 foods like:

• Margarine / low fat spread
• Salad dressings
• Ice-cream
• Frozen desserts eg cheesecake, chocolate mud cake
• Coffee whiteners
• Bread
• Cakes
• 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), mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids (471) and polysorbate 80 (433).

List of approved emulsifiers

Here's a complete list of ALL the 24  approved emulsifiers and their code numbers. Note however that there are only four commonly used ones -  lecithin 322, sorbitan monostearate 491, mono-and di-glycerides of fatty acids 471 and polysorbate 433: