Glycerin(E422)
Level 3 — ContestedIn Winter's Dictionary2 sources
Glycerin is a humectant — Humectant in tobacco, marshmallows, jellies; solvent for colors/flavors; plasticizer
Also: Glycerol
What it does
Humectant in tobacco, marshmallows, jellies; solvent for colors/flavors; plasticizer
Where you'll see it
Beverages, confectionery, baked goods, chewing gum, gelatin desserts
What the research says
Contact with strong oxidizing additives (chromium trioxide, potassium chlorate, permanganate) may produce explosion. In concentrated solutions irritating to mucous membranes, but as used nontoxic.
[ultra-processed-people] Humectant/sugar substitute in Pret's additive cocktail. Listed as part of the cluster that meant the Advertising Standards Agency told Pret to stop calling their bread 'produced by nature.' In ice cream, glycerine/emulsifiers together stop ice crystals — i.e. exist for industrial logistics, not nutrition.
Regulatory status
- US FDA: GRAS
- EU: approved
Sources
- Ultra-Processed People (van Tulleken) — Chapter 14: Additive anxiety: The gums, glycerine and emulsifiers all stop ice crystals
- A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives (Winter): as used, nontoxic, soothing, and nonallergenic