Polyglycerol esters of interesterified ricinoleic acid
68936-89-0 · 1,2,3-Propanetriol, homopolymer, (9Z,12R)-12-hydroxy-9-octadecenoate · E 476 · POLYGLYCEROL ESTERS OF INTERESTERIFIED RICINOLEIC ACID · Polyglycerol polyricinoleate · E476 · 476 · (Z)-12-hydroxyoctadec-9-enoic acid;propane-1,2,3-triol · Polyglycerol polyricinoleate · Poliglicerin-poliricinoleát · Poliglicerol poliricinoleat · Poliglicerolio poliricinoleatas · POLIGLICERĪNA POLIRICINOLĀTS · Poliglicerīna polirīcinoleāts · Poliricinoleat de poliglicerină · POLIRICINOLEAT DE POLIGLICEROL · Poliricinoleato di poliglicerolo · Poliriċinoleat tal-poligliċerol · Polirricinoleato de poliglicerol · Polirycynooleinian poliglicerolu · Polyglycerin-Polyricinoleat · Polyglycerol polyricinoleate · Polyglycerolpolyricinoleaat · POLYGLYCEROLPOLYRICINOLEÁT · Polyglycerylpolyricinoleát · POLYGLYSEROLIPOLYRISIINIOLEAATTI · Polyglyserolipolyrisinolaatti · Polyricinoléate de polyglycérol · POLÜGLÜTSEROOLPOLÜRITSINOLAAT · Polüglütseroolpolüritsinoleaat · Πολυγλυκερίδια του πολυρικινελαϊκού οξέος · Полиглицерол полирицинолеатE number E476INS 476CAS 68936-89-0
Listed as an emulsifier by Canada and Codex.
Listed as emulsifiers (CA, Codex) · thickeners (CA) · stabilisers (CA)
- Canada: Emulsifying 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)
- Codex Alimentarius: Emulsifier — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 476
- 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)
Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) is an emulsifier used chiefly in chocolate, where it lowers viscosity so that less cocoa butter is needed and thin coatings and moulded shapes are easier to produce.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | Permitted, with conditions | 5 food categories highest permitted level 20,000 mg/kg Show every food category
| Food Standards Code, Schedule 15, S15—5and 4 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-17 |
| Canada | Permitted, with conditions | highest permitted level 8,000 % 5 permitted uses Show every permitted use
| Health Canada, List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents (List 4)and 4 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-17 |
| European Union | Permitted, with conditions | 6 food categories highest permitted level 8,000 mg/kg Show every food category
| Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex IIand 5 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-18 |
| Great Britain | Permitted, with conditions | 6 food categories highest permitted level 5,000 mg/kg or mg/l Show every food category
| Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008and 5 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-18 |
| 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 | Permitted, with conditions | Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 1. …Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 1. 일반식품첨가물 (general food additives), 폴리글리세린축합리시놀레인산에스테르 (“Polyglycerol Esters of Interesterified Ricinoleic Acid”, the English the Code prints beside it). Main use (주용도) of 폴리글리세린축합리시놀레인산에스테르: 유화제, 껌기초제. Standard for use (사용기준) of 폴리글리세린축합리시놀레인산에스테르: (1) [to be used under the general standard for use in II. 2. 1), the minimum amount that achieves the technical effect, with no limit set for this additive in particular] “II. 2. 1)의 규정에 따라 사용하여야 한다.” The Korean is the standard as published. There is no official English translation of the current Code (the English version on MFDS’s website is the 2020 edition and has no legal effect); the English in square brackets is this site’s description of what each sentence does, not a translation of the foods or the levels. Compositional specifications (Part IV) are not imported, nor are the general standards in Part II, which apply to every additive. | Standards and Specifications for Food Additives (식품첨가물의 기준 및 규격), MFDS Notification, Part III (Standards for use, by item)retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| United States | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. | ||
| Codex Alimentarius | Permitted, with conditions | 23 food categories highest permitted level 10,000 mg/kg Show every food category and its notes
| CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 476and 22 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07 |
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.
| Australia and New Zealand | 5,000 mg/kg – 20,000 mg/kg | 5 numeric limit |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 5,000 mg/kg – 20,000 mg/kg | 4 numeric limit, 1 no quantity stated |
| European Union | 4,000 mg/kg – 8,000 mg/kg | 6 numeric limit |
| Great Britain | 4,000 mg/kg – 5,000 mg/kg | 5 numeric limit, 1 several limits |
| South Korea | — | 1 no quantity stated |
| Codex Alimentarius | 500 mg/kg – 10,000 mg/kg | 23 numeric limit |
GRAS notices to the FDA
A GRAS notice is a company’s conclusion that a substance is generally recognised as safe for the use it describes. FDA’s letter responds to that conclusion, for that notifier and that use. It is not a listing in 21 CFR, and it is not counted as a US permission above. The substance and use are as FDA’s inventory words them; this site matched the notice to this page by exact name.
GRN No. 266 · Polyglycerol polyricinoleate · Palsgaard A/S
Intended use: As an emulsifier in chocolate-type products based on vegetable fats other than cocoa butter, at levels up to 0.3 percent and in accordance with good manufacturing practices
FDA’s response (2009-05-29): FDA has no questions
Regulatory changes
Dated acts affecting this additive, then anything the weekly comparison of the imported lists has seen move. The status panel above shows where the rules stand now; these are the decisions that got them there.
· Great Britain
Use of polyglycerol polyricinoleate (E 476) extended to edible ices and fattier emulsified sauces in Great Britain
S.I. 2024/685 authorised E 476 in edible ices (category 03) at up to 4,000 mg/kg, except sorbets. In sauces (category 12.6) it replaced the existing entry with two: up to 4,000 mg/kg in emulsified sauces with less than 20% fat, and up to 8,000 mg/kg where the fat content is 20% or more. The FSA/FSS register lists application RP-217 for this change and gives 28 June 2024 as the date of E 476's current status. Scotland (S.S.I. 2024/156) and Wales (W.S.I. 2024/741) made the same change.
What it is made from
Made by esterifying polyglycerol with interesterified ricinoleic acid, the principal fatty acid of castor oil. The fatty acid is reliably plant-derived; the glycerol from which the polyglycerol is made 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.
- CAS registry number
- 68936-89-0
The two specifications, compared
The European Union sets identity and purity by regulation; JECFA publishes its own through FAO, advisory until a country adopts it. Both documents are below in full. These are the parameters each puts a number on.
| Parameter | European Union | JECFA |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | no more than 0.1 mg/kg | no more than 2 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | no more than 0.1 mg/kg | — |
| Mercury | no more than 0.1 mg/kg | — |
| Cadmium | no more than 0.1 mg/kg | — |
One parameter differs between the two documents. A difference is not a disagreement about safety: the two are revised on their own cycles, and an assay or a drying loss can be measured against a different preparation of the substance, which is why only the contaminant ceilings are marked. Within the EU the EU's figure is the one that binds.
How the EU defines it
The legal specification an additive must meet to be sold as this E number in the EU — what it is, how it may be made, and the purity it must reach. From Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012.
E 476 Polyglycerol polyricinoleate
Polyglycerol polyricinoleate is prepared by the esterification of polyglycerol with condensed castor oil fatty acids. Castor oil used for the production of polyglycerol polyricinoleate is free of ricin. The polyglycerol is produced from glycerol complying with the specifications for E 422.
Synonyms: Glycerol esters of condensed castor oil fatty acids; Polyglycerol esters of polycondensed fatty acids from castor oil; Polyglycerol esters of interesterified ricinoleic acid; PGPR
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- Description
- Clear, highly viscous liquid
Identification
- Solubility
- Insoluble in water and in ethanol; soluble in ether, hydrocarbons and halogenated hydrocarbons
- Test for glycerol
- Passes test
- Test for polyglycerols
- Passes test
- Test for ricinoleic acid
- Passes test
- Refractive index
- [n]D ⁶⁵ between 1,4630 and 1,4665
Purity criteria
- Polyglycerols
- The polyglycerol moiety shall be composed of not less than 75 % of di-, tri- and tetraglycerols and shall contain not more than 10 % of polyglycerols equal to or higher than heptaglycerol
- Hydroxyl value
- Not less than 80 and not more than 100
- Acid value
- Not more than 6
- Arsenic
- Not more than 0,1 mg/kg
- Lead
- Not more than 0,1 mg/kg
- Mercury
- Not more than 0,1 mg/kg
- Cadmium
- Not more than 0,1 mg/kg
- Sum of 3-monochloropropanediol (3-MCPD) and 3-MCPD fatty acid esters (expressed as 3-MCPD)
- Not more than 2,5 mg/kg
- Glycidyl fatty acid esters (expressed as glycidol)
- Not more than 1 mg/kg
How JECFA defines it
The international specification for identity and purity, prepared by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives and published by FAO. It is a different document from any above, written by a different body and revised on its own cycle; it is advisory, and a country adopts it or does not.
INS 476 Polyglycerol Esters of interesterified Ricinoleic Acid
Prepared by the esterification of polyglycerol with condensed castor oil fatty acids. The article of commerce may be specified further as to saponification value, solidification point of the free fatty acids, iodine value, acid value, hydroxyl value, ash content and Refractive index.
Synonyms: Glyceran esters of condensed castor oil fatty acids; polyglycerol esters of polycondensed fatty acids from castor oil; INS No. 476 Glyceran esters of condensed castor oil fatty acid
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- Specification history
- Prepared at the 17th JECFA (1973), published in FNP 4 (1978) and in FNP 52 (1992). Metals and arsenic specifications revised at the 55th JECFA (2000). An ADI of 0-7.5 mg/kg bw was established at the 17th JECFA (1973)
- Structural formula
- The major components have the general structure: where the average value of n is about 3 and R 1 , R 2 and R 3 each may be hydrogen or a linear condensation polymer of ricinoleic acid with itself thus: where the average value of m is between 5 and 8
- DESCRIPTION
- Highly viscous liquids
- FUNCTIONAL USES
- Emulsifier
Identification
- Solubility (Vol. 4)
- Insoluble in water and in ethanol; soluble in ether, hydrocarbons and halogenated hydrocarbons
- Tests for fatty acids (Vol. 4)
- Passes tests
- Test for ricinoleic acid
- The fatty acids liberated in test for fatty acids Identification tests for funtional groups should have a Hydroxyl value corresponding to that for castor oil fatty acids (about 150 to 170)
- Test for glycerol and polyglycerols
- Spot 5 to 20 μl of the aqueous layer obtained in the test for fatty acids under Identification test for functional groups alongside control spots of glycerol on paper such as Whatman No. 3 and develop using descending chromatography for 36 h with isopropanol : water, 90:10. The glycerol spot moves 40 cm and the polyglycerols are revealed in succession below that for glycerol when the paper is sprayed with either permanganate in acetone or ammoniacal silver nitrate.
Purity criteria
- Polyglycerols
- The polyglycerol moiety shall be composed of not less than 75% of di-, tri-and tetraglycerols and shall contain not more than 10% of polyglycerols equal to or higher than heptaglycerol.
- Lead (Vol. 4)
- Not more than 2 mg/kg Determine using an atomic absorption technique appropriate to the specified level. The selection of sample size and method of sample preparation may be based on the principles of the method described in Volume 4, “Instrumental Methods.”
Authorised in other additives, enzymes, flavourings and nutrients
These authorisations are not for use in food. They let this substance be used inside another additive, a food enzyme, a flavouring or a nutrient preparation — often as a carrier — and it reaches food only as part of that product. Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008.
| Part | May be used in | Maximum level | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annex III, Part 2: Food additives other than carriers in food additives | As emulsifier in preparations of colours used in: Surimi and Japanese type Fish Products (Kamaboko) (E 120 cochineal, carminic acid, carmines) Meat products, fish pastes and fruit preparations used in flavoured milk products and desserts (E163 anthocyanins, E100 curcumin and E120 cochineal, carminic acid, carmines)Note (1): Except enzymes authorised as food additives. | 50 000 mg/kg in the preparation, 500 mg/kg in final food | Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex III, Part 2 |
Every name it appears under
32 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
E number
- E476
INS number
- 476
CAS registry number
- 68936-89-0
As it appears in regulation
- Polyglycerol polyricinoleate
Other names
- 1,2,3-Propanetriol, homopolymer, (9Z,12R)-12-hydroxy-9-octadecenoate
- E 476
- POLYGLYCEROL ESTERS OF INTERESTERIFIED RICINOLEIC ACID
- Polyglycerol polyricinoleate
Systematic names
- (Z)-12-hydroxyoctadec-9-enoic acid;propane-1,2,3-triol
Hazard reference values
The two committees set different figures. EFSA's acceptable daily intake is 25 mg/kg bw/day; JECFA's is 7.5 mg/kg bw/day (1973). An acceptable daily intake is a reference value set by a committee, not a threshold above which harm begins. The lower figure is not a finding that the other body was wrong: the two work to different terms of reference, on their own timetables, and sometimes from different data. This site states both and chooses between them nowhere. See where the two committees differ.
| Type | Value | Population | Assessed by | Opinion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADI | 7.5 mg/kg bw/day | — | JECFA | 1973 |
| ADI | 25 mg/kg bw/day | consumers | EFSA | not identified in the dataset |
Evidence and how bodies read it
What assessing bodies concluded
Each conclusion is paraphrased in the body's own framing, from the published opinion linked beneath it. Where bodies differ, both stand; this site does not adjudicate between them or add a view of its own.
EFSA 2022
In a follow-up to its 2017 re-evaluation, the FAF Panel concluded that a proposed extension of use of polyglycerol polyricinoleate (E 476) in edible ices would not give rise to a safety concern. It concluded that limits for toxic elements should be lowered and limits for glycidyl esters and 3-MCPD added to the specifications.
EFSA 2017
The ANS Panel concluded that polyglycerol polyricinoleate (E 476) is not of concern for genotoxicity or carcinogenicity and revised the ADI from the SCF's 7.5 mg/kg bw/day to 25 mg/kg bw/day. Exposure estimates, including a proposed extension of use, did not exceed the ADI, and it recommended modifying the EU specifications.
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 E 476?
- E 476 is Polyglycerol esters of interesterified ricinoleic acid. Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) is an emulsifier used chiefly in chocolate, where it lowers viscosity so that less cocoa butter is needed and thin coatings and moulded shapes are easier to produce.
- What is Polyglycerol esters of interesterified ricinoleic acid used for in food?
- It is listed as an emulsifier — the role Canada and Codex assign it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Where is Polyglycerol esters of interesterified ricinoleic acid permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, Australia and New Zealand, Canada, the EU, Great Britain, South Korea and the Codex standard 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 Polyglycerol esters of interesterified ricinoleic acid vegan?
- It depends on the source, and a label will not tell you. Polyglycerol esters of interesterified ricinoleic acid 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
- anz retrieved 2026-10-17
- ca retrieved 2026-10-17
- eu retrieved 2026-10-18
- gb retrieved 2026-10-18
- kr retrieved 2026-10-18
- gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07
- euspecs retrieved 2026-10-18
- jecfaspecs retrieved 2026-09-23
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