Acetylated monoglycerides
Acetylated monoglyceridesListed as an emulsifier, a thickener and a stabiliser by Canada.
Listed as emulsifiers (CA) · thickeners (CA) · stabilisers (CA) · glazing and surface-finishing agents (CA) · lubricants and release agents (CA)
- Canada: Emulsifying, stabilizing or thickening agent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents (List 4)
- Canada: Emulsifying, stabilizing or thickening agent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents (List 4)
- Canada: Emulsifying, stabilizing or thickening agent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents (List 4)
- Canada: Glazing agent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Glazing Agents (List 7)
- Canada: Release agent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Food Additives with Other Purposes of Use (List 8)
Acetylated monoglycerides is the name the US (21 CFR 172.828) and Canada (List 4) give a coating, film-forming and emulsifying agent: flexible edible films that hold moisture in. Neither lists it under an E or INS number, so this site holds it apart from E 472a, acetic acid esters of mono- and diglycerides, which is the entry the EU and Codex list.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Canada | Permitted, with conditions | highest permitted level 4,000 mg/kg 4 permitted uses Show every permitted use
| Health Canadaand 3 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-17 |
| European Union | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Great Britain | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Japan | No listing matchedThis site imports only Japan’s list of designated additives (Appended Table 1 to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act), matched by English name. Existing additives, natural flavouring agents and ordinary foods used as additives are permitted outside that list and are not imported, so an empty row does not show that Japan does not permit the substance. | ||
| South Korea | No listing matchedThis site imports Part III of South Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, matched by CAS number, then INS number, then exact name. Mixed preparations and sanitisers are not imported, and an entry whose identifiers disagreed with a page’s is held for review, so an empty row does not show that South Korea does not permit the substance. | ||
| United States | Permitted, with conditions | 21 CFR 172.828retrieved 2026-10-17 | |
| Codex Alimentarius | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. |
How much is permitted
A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.
| Canada | 4,000 mg/kg | 1 numeric limit, 3 GMP |
|---|---|---|
| United States | — | 1 no quantity stated |
What it is made from
Made by acetylating monoglycerides. The underlying fat may be plant or animal in origin and is not usually declared.
- Vegan status depends on the source
- Vegetarian status depends on the source
- May raise a halal question
- May raise a kosher question
This is not an omission. What this additive is made from is not fixed — depending on the manufacturer it may be plant, animal or microbial in origin, nobody is required to say which, and the same product can change source between production runs. Ask the manufacturer if it matters to you; a label cannot answer it.
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
Every name it appears under
1 recorded name. A label may use any of them.
As it appears in regulation
- Acetylated monoglycerides
Hazard reference values
No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.
Evidence and how bodies read it
Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.
Common questions
Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.
- What is Acetylated monoglycerides?
- Acetylated monoglycerides is the name the US (21 CFR 172.828) and Canada (List 4) give a coating, film-forming and emulsifying agent: flexible edible films that hold moisture in. Neither lists it under an E or INS number, so this site holds it apart from E 472a, acetic acid esters of mono- and diglycerides, which is the entry the EU and Codex list.
- What is Acetylated monoglycerides used for in food?
- It is listed as an emulsifier, a thickener and a stabiliser — the role Canada assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Is Acetylated monoglycerides banned in Europe?
- No. Acetylated monoglycerides does not appear on the EU's list of authorised food additives, which is not the same as being banned: the EU permits an additive only where it has authorised it, and usually the reason for an absence is that no one applied. The EU has made no finding against this substance. It does mean it may not be used as a food additive in the EU today.
- Where is Acetylated monoglycerides permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, Canada and the US permit it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
- Is Acetylated monoglycerides vegan?
- It depends on the source, and a label will not tell you. Acetylated monoglycerides can be made from plant or animal material, manufacturers are not obliged to say which, and the same product can change between production runs. Anyone who needs to know has to ask the manufacturer.
Sources for this page
- ca retrieved 2026-10-17
- ecfr retrieved 2026-10-17
Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.
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