YenzoWhich foods contain emulsifiers?
According to Yenzo's additive pages, E322 is common in chocolate, biscuits, confectionery, margarine and milk powders; E471 in packaged bread and cakes, ice cream, margarine, chocolate, biscuits and instant noodles.
Emulsifiers in food
Emulsifiers are substances that make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases, such as oil and water, in a foodstuff. They are added to food for that purpose. This definition follows Annex I of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Union.
Vietnam regulates additives through a list of permitted additives (Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT, referencing international Codex standards); a substance not on the list is not permitted in Vietnam, and that is the first tier of the Yenzo Scale — see how levels are set.
E339Sodium phosphatesE340Potassium phosphatesE405Propane-1,2-diol alginateE410Locust bean gumE412Guar gumE413TragacanthE414Acacia gum (gum arabic)E415Xanthan gumE416Karaya gumE426Soybean hemicelluloseE427Cassia gumE432Polysorbate 20E433Polysorbate 80E434Polysorbate 40E435Polysorbate 60E436Polysorbate 65E442Ammonium phosphatidesE444Sucrose acetate isobutyrateE445Glycerol esters of wood rosinsE450DiphosphatesE452PolyphosphatesE472Esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acidsE473Sucrose esters of fatty acidsE474SucroglyceridesE475Polyglycerol esters of fatty acidsE476Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR)E477Propane-1,2-diol esters of fatty acidsE479bThermally oxidised soya bean oil with mono- and diglyceridesE481Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylateE482Calcium stearoyl-2-lactylateE491Sorbitan monostearateE492Sorbitan tristearateE493Sorbitan monolaurateE494Sorbitan monooleateE495Sorbitan monopalmitateE900Dimethyl polysiloxaneE999Quillaia extractE1000Cholic acidE1201PolyvinylpyrrolidoneE1503Castor oilE1518Glyceryl triacetate (triacetin)E1520Propane-1,2-diol (propylene glycol)E1521Polyethylene glycol
Emulsifiers: very low risk
Very low risk: no concern at the levels used in food. How we score →
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E181TanninsE322LecithinsE325Sodium lactateE326Potassium lactateE331Sodium citratesE353Metatartaric acidE400Alginic acidE401Sodium alginateE440PectinsE460CelluloseE461Methyl celluloseE463Hydroxypropyl celluloseE464Hydroxypropyl methyl celluloseE465Ethyl methyl celluloseE466Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)E470Salts of fatty acids (type not printed)E470aSodium, potassium and calcium salts of fatty acidsE470bMagnesium salts of fatty acidsE471Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acidsE901BeeswaxE902Candelilla waxE965MaltitolE966LactitolE967XylitolE1001Choline salts and estersE1400DextrinE1401Acid-treated starchE1402Alkaline treated starchE1403Bleached starchE1404Oxidised starchE1405Enzyme-treated starchE1410Monostarch phosphateE1412Distarch phosphateE1413Phosphated distarch phosphateE1414Acetylated distarch phosphateE1420Acetylated starchE1422Acetylated distarch adipateE1440Hydroxypropyl starchE1442Hydroxypropyl distarch phosphateE1450Starch sodium octenyl succinateE1451Acetylated oxidised starchE1505Triethyl citrate
Fun fact. Lecithin, a natural emulsifier, was first separated from egg yolk. It belongs to the phosphorus-containing lipids, which Gobley first separated from egg yolk and named lecithin in Greek. The main component of egg yolk lecithin is phosphatidylcholine (PC), at about 73.0%. The content of lecithin in egg yolk is three times higher than in soybean. Besides its role as a natural emulsifier and wetting agent, egg yolk lecithin is also used outside food: as a fungicide for crops, a preservative for fruits and flowers, and for ink emulsifiers and petroleum products. Source: Perspectives on lecithin from egg yolk: Extraction, physicochemical properties, modification, and applications (Frontiers in Nutrition, 2022)
Frequently asked questions about emulsifiers
How can I recognise emulsifiers on a label?
Labels usually write the group name with the INS number, for example “emulsifier (471)”. A label may also write the E code, the INS code or the name of the substance. The same substance can be written in different ways.
Which emulsifiers are the most common?
Yenzo does not rank codes. Some codes of this group have a page on Yenzo: E322 (lecithin), E471 (mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids), E450 (diphosphates), E412 (guar gum), E415 (xanthan gum). Each of them has a row in Appendix 1 of Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT with the function “chất nhũ hóa” (emulsifier).
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