YenzoWhich foods contain propellants?
Propellants are used in foods packed in pressurised containers to push the product out. According to the Yenzo page for E290, carbon dioxide is also used in cream sprays. Each code has its own page with more detail.
Propellants in food
A propellant is a gas other than air that pushes a food out of its container, for example a spray can. Makers use it when a product comes in a pressurised container.
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.
Propellants: very low risk
Very low risk: no concern at the levels used in food. How we score →
6 of 6
Fun fact. Propellants are pressurized gases used to expel food from its container; the most commonly used are nitrogen, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide. Nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide are generally used for foam and spray products such as whipped cream, cheese and mustard, because they dissolve in the fluid food and expand as it leaves the container, forming a foam or spray. Nitrous oxide is most commonly obtained by the thermal decomposition of ammonium nitrate. In the dairy industry it can reduce the oxidation of lipids by any residual air, and it is used in whipping creams and mousses and as a propellant in aerosol creams. The textbook states that whipped cream made with N2O has higher foaming stability. Source: Firming agents, Humectants and Propellants (D. Patel), in Food Additives and Food Quality Assurance, UGC/INFLIBNET e-PG Pathshala
Frequently asked questions about propellants
How can I recognise propellants on a label?
Labels usually write the group name followed by the INS number in brackets, for example “propellant (942)”, or the code E942, or the name of the substance (nitrous oxide). A substance may be written in any of these ways.
Which propellants are the most common?
Yenzo does not rank additives. Some codes of this group that have a page on Yenzo: E290 (carbon dioxide), E941 (nitrogen), E942 (nitrous oxide). All of them are named in Appendix 1 of Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT.
Other categories
PreservativesColoursSweetenersFlavour enhancersEmulsifiersThickenersAntioxidantsAcidity regulatorsAnticaking agentsGlazing agentsStabilizersGelling agentsSequestrantsFlour treatment agentsHumectantsCarriersColour retention agentsFirming agentsEmulsifying saltsBulking agentsFoaming agentsRaising agentsPackaging gasesAntifoaming agentsBleaching agentsCarbonating agentsFlavourings