Additives that may raise a kosher question

An animal, insect or dairy origin, possible or certain, that kashrut addresses. 158 additives.

An entry here marks a question, not a ruling. Whether a product is kosher depends on its source and processing, and on the certifying authority, and authorities differ. This site does not certify. The first section is certain to be of animal origin. The second may or may not be.

Animal origin 35

Additive	Vegan	Vegetarian	What it is made from
Animal lipase	No	No	Extracted from the forestomach tissue of calves, kids or lambs, or from animal pancreatic tissue.
Antarctic krill meal	No	No	Dried and milled Euphausia superba, a small crustacean harvested in the Southern Ocean.
Avian pepsin	No	No	Obtained from the glandular stomachs of chickens. It is an animal-derived enzyme, and anyone avoiding animal ingredients should treat it as one.
Bone phosphate INS 542	No	No	Made by degreasing, calcining and grinding the bones of slaughtered animals, usually cattle. Chemically it is much the same as mineral-sourced calcium phosphate, but its origin is not, and the source is not evident from a label that simply says calcium phosphate.
Calcium lactobionate	No	Yes	Made by oxidising lactose to lactobionic acid and neutralising with calcium. The starting lactose is from milk.
Carmines E120	No	No	Extracted from the dried bodies of the female cochineal scale insect, Dactylopius coccus, farmed chiefly in Peru and the Canary Islands. Carminic acid is drawn out with hot water and precipitated as an aluminium lake. Because it is insect-derived it is not vegan or vegetarian, and it raises questions under some halal and kosher rulings.
Catalase (bovine liver)	No	No	Extracted from bovine liver. A microbial catalase from Micrococcus lysodeikticus is listed separately and is not animal-derived.
Chitosan	No	No	Made by treating chitin with alkali. Chitin comes mainly from shrimp and crab shells, which makes most chitosan a shellfish-derived ingredient; fungal sources exist.
Cholic acid INS 1000	No	No	Cholic acid is the principal bile acid of mammals and is obtained commercially from the bile of slaughtered cattle and sheep. Anyone avoiding animal-derived ingredients should treat it as one.
Cochineal extract; carmine	No	No	Extracted from the dried bodies of the female cochineal scale insect, Dactylopius coccus. Because it is insect-derived it is neither vegan nor vegetarian, and it raises questions under some halal and kosher rulings.
Desoxycholic acid	No	No	A bile acid of mammals, obtained commercially from bile. Anyone avoiding animal-derived ingredients should treat it as one.
Enzyme-modified fats	No	Depends on source	Made from refined beef fat, butterfat or milkfat, steam-rendered chicken fat, or milk products, which are held with enzymes until enough fatty acid has been released. The enzymes are then inactivated and the product is concentrated or dried.
Fish protein isolate	No	No	Extracted and purified from fish, with the oil and other fractions removed.
Gelatin	No	No	Made by partial hydrolysis of collagen from the skin, tendons, ligaments and bones of animals — usually pigs and cattle, sometimes fish. It is an animal product, and which animal it came from matters for several diets.
Hydrogenated sperm oil	No	No	Hardened by hydrogenation from oil taken from the sperm whale. Sperm whales are protected internationally and the oil is not in commercial use, so the listing outlived its trade.
Lactitol E966	No	Yes	Made by hydrogenating lactose, the sugar of milk. That makes it the only common polyol with a dairy-derived starting material.
Lanolin	No	Yes	Recovered from the water used to scour raw wool, then refined. It is an animal product, though it is taken from the fleece rather than the animal.
Menhaden oil	No	No	Pressed and refined from menhaden, a small oily Atlantic fish caught in bulk for oil and meal rather than eaten directly.
Microparticulated protein product	No	Yes	Made by heating and shearing whey or egg white protein into microscopic spheres. The starting protein is dairy or egg.
Myoglobin	No	No	Extracted from animal muscle tissue. It is an animal protein, and the colour changes people see in meat are this molecule binding oxygen and then oxidising.
Ox bile extract	No	No	Extracted from the bile of cattle, a slaughterhouse by-product.
Pancreas extract	No	No	Extracted from the pancreas of slaughtered animals, usually pigs or cattle. It is an animal-derived preparation.
Pancreatin	No	No	Extracted from the pancreas of pigs or cattle, a slaughterhouse by-product. Microbial enzymes now do much of the same work.
Pepsin	No	No	Extracted from the glandular layer of porcine or bovine stomachs. The porcine source is why pepsin raises a specific concern under halal and kosher rules beyond the general question of animal derivation.
Reduced lactose whey	No	Yes	Made by crystallising and removing lactose from whey, then drying.
Reduced minerals whey	No	Yes	Made by removing minerals from whey using ion exchange or electrodialysis, then drying.
Shellac, bleached E904	No	No	Scraped from tree branches as the secretion of the lac insect, Kerria lacca, in India and Thailand, then washed, filtered and bleached. Insect fragments are removed during refining but the raw material is an insect product.
Sodium caseinate	No	Yes	Made by precipitating casein from skimmed milk with acid and neutralising with sodium hydroxide. It is a declarable milk allergen.
Spermaceti wax	No	No	Obtained from the spermaceti organ of the sperm whale. It is an animal product from a protected species.
Starter distillate	No	Yes	Distilled from a milk culture fermented with the same bacteria used for cultured butter. The starting material is dairy.
Trypsin	No	No	Extracted from the pancreatic tissue of cattle or pigs, a slaughterhouse by-product.
Vitamin D3	No	Yes	Made by ultraviolet irradiation of cholesterol extracted from lanolin, the wax in wool shorn from living sheep. D2, from yeast or fungi, is the non-animal alternative form of the vitamin.
Whey	No	Yes	A by-product of cheese and casein manufacture, then dried or concentrated. Whey from rennet-set cheese carries whatever rennet was used, which is a separate question from the whey itself.
Whey protein concentrate	No	Yes	Concentrated from cheese whey by membrane filtration, then dried.
Whole fish protein concentrate	No	No	Made by extracting the oil and water from whole fish and drying the remaining protein.

Source not fixed 122

Additive	Vegan	Vegetarian	What it is made from
Acetic and fatty acid esters of glycerol E472a	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by esterifying mono- and diglycerides with acetic acid. The underlying fats may be of plant or animal origin and the source is almost never declared.
Acetylated monoglycerides	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by acetylating monoglycerides. The underlying fat may be plant or animal in origin and is not usually declared.
Adjuvants for pesticide use dilutions	Depends on source	Depends on source	A varied group of surfactants, oils and carriers formulated into agricultural sprays.
Amino acids	Depends on source	Depends on source	Most food-grade amino acids are produced by bacterial fermentation of a carbohydrate feedstock. A few have historically been obtained by hydrolysing animal proteins, so the route matters and is not always declared.
Ammonium salts of phosphatidic acid E442	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting glycerides with phosphoric acid and neutralising with ammonia. The starting fat is normally rapeseed oil.
Ascorbyl palmitate E304	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by esterifying ascorbic acid with palmitic acid. The ascorbic acid is fermentation-derived; the palmitic acid may come from palm oil or animal fat and is not usually declared.
beta-Carotenes, synthetic INS 160a(i)	Depends on source	Depends on source	Synthesised from petroleum-derived intermediates. Preparations are often suspended in oil or, for water-dispersible forms, carried in a matrix that may include gelatin — which is a dietary question about the preparation rather than the pigment.
Calcium 5'-guanylate E629	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by neutralising guanylic acid, produced by fermentation or from yeast RNA, with calcium.
Calcium 5'-inosinate E633	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by neutralising inosinic acid, produced by fermentation or from yeast RNA, with calcium.
Calcium 5'-ribonucleotides E634	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by neutralising a mixture of inosinic and guanylic acids, produced by fermentation or from yeast RNA, with calcium.
Calcium glycerophosphate	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting glycerophosphoric acid with a calcium source. The glycerol may be plant or animal in origin.
Calcium stearate	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting stearic acid with a calcium source. The stearic acid may be from vegetable oil or from animal tallow, and the label will not say which.
Calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate E482	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting stearic acid with lactic acid and neutralising with calcium. The stearic acid may be of plant or animal origin.
Carrageenan with polysorbate 80	Depends on source	Depends on source	Carrageenan from red seaweed blended with polysorbate 80, whose fatty acid component may be plant or animal in origin.
Cetylpyridinium chloride	Depends on source	Depends on source	Produced by chemical synthesis from pyridine and a long-chain alkyl chloride. The alkyl chain may derive from plant or animal fats.
Charcoal	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by heating organic material — wood, peat, coconut shell, and historically bone — in a limited supply of air. Health Canada's listing does not say which, so this page claims nothing about the source: anyone who needs to know whether a particular charcoal is of vegetable origin has to ask its maker.
Chewing gum base	Depends on source	Depends on source	Blended from elastomers — natural chicle or synthetic rubbers such as polyisobutylene and styrene-butadiene — with resins, waxes, fats and fillers. Some components can be animal-derived, and the blend is not itemised on the label.
Citric and fatty acid esters of glycerol E472c	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by esterifying mono- and diglycerides with citric acid. The fat source may be plant or animal and is rarely declared.
Coatings on fresh citrus fruit	Depends on source	Depends on source	Formulated from waxes, resins and shellac. Shellac is an insect secretion, so a coated fruit is not necessarily vegan, and coatings are not always declared on unpackaged produce.
Defoaming agents	Depends on source	Depends on source	A group including silicones, fatty acid esters and waxes. Some components may be animal-derived, and the blend is not itemised.
Diacetyltartaric and fatty acid esters of glycerol E472e	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by esterifying mono- and diglycerides with diacetyltartaric acid. The underlying fat may be plant or animal, so DATEM in a loaf does not settle whether the bread is vegetarian.
Dimethyldialkylammonium chloride	Depends on source	Depends on source	Produced by chemical synthesis. The alkyl chains may derive from plant or animal fats.
Dipotassium 5'-guanylate E628	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by neutralising guanylic acid, produced by fermentation or from yeast RNA, with potassium.
Disodium 5'-ribonucleotides E635	Depends on source	Depends on source	A mixture of the two ribonucleotides, both normally produced by fermentation but also obtainable from animal sources.
Disodium guanylate E627	Depends on source	Depends on source	Produced by bacterial fermentation, though extraction from yeast or fish is also possible. The source is not usually declared, so a vegetarian cannot be certain from a label alone.
Disodium inosinate E631	Depends on source	Depends on source	Produced by bacterial fermentation of a carbohydrate feedstock, though it can also be extracted from meat or fish, in which case it would not be vegetarian. The route is not usually declared.
DL-Methionine	Depends on source	Depends on source	Usually produced by bacterial fermentation. Amino acids can also be obtained by hydrolysing animal protein, and the route is not declared.
Ethoxylated mono- and diglycerides	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting mono- and diglycerides with ethylene oxide. The underlying fat may be plant or animal.
Fatty acids E570	Depends on source	Depends on source	Obtained by splitting fats and oils, which may be vegetable or animal. The finished acids are identical either way.
Glycerin E422	Depends on source	Depends on source	Obtained as a by-product of soap manufacture and biodiesel production, or by hydrolysing fats and oils. Those fats may be plant or animal, and glycerin can also be made synthetically from petroleum. The route is not declared, which makes this a genuinely open question on a label.
Glycerol ester of rosin	Depends on source	Depends on source	Rosin from pine is esterified with glycerol. Regulation 172.735 specifies the product: an acid number of 3 to 9, a drop-softening point of 88 to 96 °C, a colour of N or paler on the Naval Stores scale, and purification by countercurrent steam distillation or steam stripping. It does not distinguish the three rosin sources. 21 CFR 172.615 (chewing gum base) lists them separately with their own specifications, Canada lists each separately, and the EU authorises only the wood rosin ester.
Glycerol ester of wood rosin E445	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting rosin, extracted from pine stumps, with glycerol. The glycerol may be plant or animal in origin. 21 CFR 172.615 gives it a chewing-gum-base specification of an acid number of 3 to 9 and a drop-softening point of 88 to 96 °C, and 21 CFR 172.735 uses the same figures for the beverage use, which it extends to the gum and tall oil esters as well.
Glyceryl behenate	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting behenic acid, chiefly from rapeseed or peanut oil, with glycerol.
Glyceryl monooleate	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting oleic acid with glycerol. Both may be plant or animal in origin.
Glyceryl monostearate	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting stearic acid with glycerol. Both may come from vegetable oil or from animal fat.
Glyceryl palmitostearate	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting palmitic and stearic acids with glycerol. The fatty acids may be plant or animal in origin.
Glyceryl tristearate	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting stearic acid with glycerol. Both may be plant or animal in origin.
Glyceryl-lacto esters of fatty acids	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting glycerol with lactic acid and fatty acids of plant or animal origin.
Glycine E640	Depends on source	Depends on source	Produced by chemical synthesis from chloroacetic acid and ammonia, or by hydrolysing protein such as gelatin; collagen, from which gelatin is made, is unusually rich in glycine.
Guanylic acid, 5'- E626	Depends on source	Depends on source	Produced by bacterial fermentation or by hydrolysing yeast RNA. It occurs naturally in dried mushrooms.
Inosinic acid, 5'- E630	Depends on source	Depends on source	Produced by bacterial fermentation, or by hydrolysing yeast RNA. It occurs naturally in meat and fish — bonito flakes are the classic source — and the commercial route is not usually declared.
L-Arginine	Depends on source	Depends on source	Usually produced by bacterial fermentation. Amino acids can also be obtained by hydrolysing animal protein, and the route is not declared.
L-Asparagine	Depends on source	Depends on source	Usually produced by bacterial fermentation. Amino acids can also be obtained by hydrolysing animal protein, and the route is not declared.
L-Aspartic acid	Depends on source	Depends on source	Usually produced by bacterial fermentation. Amino acids can also be obtained by hydrolysing animal protein, and the route is not declared.
L-Cysteine E920	Depends on source	Depends on source	Now produced chiefly by bacterial fermentation, and also by extraction from keratin — duck and chicken feathers, hog bristle, and historically human hair. Manufacturers need not declare which route was used.
L-Cysteine monohydrochloride	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made from L-cysteine, which may be produced by fermentation or by hydrolysing keratin from feathers or hair.
L-Glutamine	Depends on source	Depends on source	Usually produced by bacterial fermentation. Amino acids can also be obtained by hydrolysing animal protein, and the route is not declared.
L-Histidine	Depends on source	Depends on source	Usually produced by bacterial fermentation. Amino acids can also be obtained by hydrolysing animal protein, and the route is not declared.
L-Isoleucine	Depends on source	Depends on source	Usually produced by bacterial fermentation. Amino acids can also be obtained by hydrolysing animal protein, and the route is not declared.
L-leucine E641	Depends on source	Depends on source	Usually produced by bacterial fermentation. Amino acids can also be obtained by hydrolysing animal protein, and the route is not declared.
L-Lysine	Depends on source	Depends on source	Usually produced by bacterial fermentation. Amino acids can also be obtained by hydrolysing animal protein, and the route is not declared.
L-Methionine	Depends on source	Depends on source	Usually produced by bacterial fermentation. Amino acids can also be obtained by hydrolysing animal protein, and the route is not declared.
L-Phenylalanine	Depends on source	Depends on source	Usually produced by bacterial fermentation. Amino acids can also be obtained by hydrolysing animal protein, and the route is not declared.
L-Proline	Depends on source	Depends on source	Usually produced by bacterial fermentation. Amino acids can also be obtained by hydrolysing animal protein, and the route is not declared.
L-Serine	Depends on source	Depends on source	Usually produced by bacterial fermentation. Amino acids can also be obtained by hydrolysing animal protein, and the route is not declared.
L-Threonine	Depends on source	Depends on source	Usually produced by bacterial fermentation. Amino acids can also be obtained by hydrolysing animal protein, and the route is not declared.
L-Tryptophan	Depends on source	Depends on source	Usually produced by bacterial fermentation. Amino acids can also be obtained by hydrolysing animal protein, and the route is not declared.
L-Tyrosine	Depends on source	Depends on source	Usually produced by bacterial fermentation. Amino acids can also be obtained by hydrolysing animal protein, and the route is not declared.
L-Valine	Depends on source	Depends on source	Usually produced by bacterial fermentation. Amino acids can also be obtained by hydrolysing animal protein, and the route is not declared.
Lactic and fatty acid esters of glycerol E472b	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by esterifying mono- and diglycerides with lactic acid. As with the rest of the E472 group the fat may be plant or animal in origin and is not usually stated.
Lactylated fatty acid esters of glycerol and propylene glycol	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting glycerol and propylene glycol with fatty acids and lactic acid. The fatty acids may be plant or animal.
Lactylic esters of fatty acids	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting fatty acids with lactic acid. The fatty acids may be plant or animal in origin.
Lauric arginate ethyl ester E243	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made from lauric acid, the amino acid arginine and ethanol. The lauric acid usually comes from coconut or palm kernel oil but a general fat source is possible; the arginine is fermentation-derived.
Lipases INS 1104	Depends on source	Depends on source	Obtained either from animal pancreatic or forestomach tissue or by fermenting fungi and bacteria. The name alone does not show whether a given preparation is animal-derived.
Magnesium salts of fatty acids E470b	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting fatty acids with a magnesium source. The fatty acids may come from vegetable oils or animal fats.
Magnesium stearate INS 470(iii)	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting stearic acid with a magnesium salt. The stearic acid may be of plant or animal origin and is not usually declared.
Methyl and ethyl esters of fatty acids produced from edible fats and oils	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting fatty acids from edible fats and oils with methanol or ethanol. The starting fat may be plant or animal.
Microcapsules for flavoring substances	Depends on source	Depends on source	Flavour oils are coated in a wall material such as modified starch, gum or gelatin. Where gelatin is the wall, the capsule is animal-derived even though the flavour is not.
Mixed acetic and tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids E472f	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting mono- and diglycerides with acetic and tartaric acids. The underlying fats may be plant or animal in origin.
Mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids E471	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting glycerol with fats or oils, which may be of plant or animal origin. The source is rarely stated on a label, so the additive name alone does not settle whether a product is vegetarian.
Monoglyceride citrate	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting monoglycerides with citric acid. The underlying fat may be plant or animal.
Monosodium phosphate derivatives of mono- and diglycerides	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting mono- and diglycerides with monosodium phosphate. The underlying fat may be plant or animal.
Natural flavoring substances and natural substances used in conjunction with flavors	Depends on source	Depends on source	Covers essential oils, oleoresins, extracts and distillates from named botanicals, and some animal-derived materials. The composition of any given natural flavour is not disclosed, so dietary status cannot be read from the label.
Nisin preparation E234	Depends on source	Depends on source	Produced by fermenting Lactococcus lactis, traditionally on a milk-based medium, and then concentrated. That fermentation substrate is why nisin preparations are not necessarily suitable for a dairy-free or vegan diet, and it is not usually declared.
Olestra	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by attaching six to eight fatty acids to a sucrose molecule instead of the three that glycerol carries in ordinary fat. Products made with it are fortified with vitamins A, D, E and K to offset what it carries out.
Oxystearin	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by oxidising and partly hydrogenating stearin, a fat fraction that may be plant or animal in origin.
Peptones	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by digesting protein with acid or enzymes. The protein may be animal — meat, casein or gelatin — or plant, such as soya, and the source is not usually declared.
Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids E475	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by joining glycerol units into a polyglycerol backbone and esterifying it with fatty acids. Both the glycerol and the fatty acids may be plant or animal in origin.
Polyglycerol esters of interesterified ricinoleic acid E476	Depends on source	Depends on source	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.
Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate E432	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by attaching about twenty ethylene oxide units to sorbitan monolaurate. The lauric acid comes mainly from coconut or palm kernel oil.
Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monopalmitate E434	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by attaching ethylene oxide units to sorbitan monopalmitate. The palmitic acid may come from palm oil or animal fat.
Polyoxyethylene (40) stearate E431	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting stearic acid with ethylene oxide. The stearic acid may be plant or animal in origin.
Polyoxyethylene (8) stearate INS 430	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting stearic acid with ethylene oxide. The stearic acid may be plant or animal in origin.
Polysorbate 60 E435	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by attaching about twenty ethylene oxide units to sorbitan monostearate. The stearic acid may be plant or animal in origin.
Polysorbate 65 E436	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by attaching ethylene oxide units to sorbitan tristearate. The stearic acid may be plant or animal in origin.
Polysorbate 80 E433	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by attaching about twenty ethylene oxide units to sorbitan monooleate. The ethylene oxide is petroleum-derived; the oleic acid may be plant or animal in origin.
Potassium 5’-inosinate E632	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by neutralising inosinic acid, produced by fermentation or from yeast RNA, with potassium.
Propylene glycol esters of fatty acids E477	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by esterifying propylene glycol with fatty acids. The propylene glycol is petroleum-derived; the fatty acids may be plant or animal.
Propylene glycol mono- and diesters of fats and fatty acids	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting propylene glycol with fats or fatty acids of plant or animal origin.
Rennet (animal-derived) and chymosin preparation (fermentation-derived)	Depends on source	Depends on source	Animal rennet is extracted from the fourth stomach of unweaned calves. Fermentation-produced chymosin is the same enzyme made by yeasts, fungi or bacteria carrying the calf gene, and involves no animal tissue. Cheeses described as made with vegetarian rennet use fermentation-produced chymosin or a microbial coagulant.
Salts of fatty acids	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by neutralising fatty acids from vegetable or animal fats with the corresponding alkali.
Salts of myristic, palmitic and stearic acids with ammonia, calcium, potassium and sodium INS 470(i)	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by neutralising myristic, palmitic or stearic acid with an alkali. The fatty acids may come from plant oils or from animal fat, and the source is not declared.
Salts of oleic acid with calcium, potassium and sodium INS 470(ii)	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by neutralising oleic acid with the corresponding alkali. The oleic acid may come from vegetable oil or from animal fat.
Silver E174	Depends on source	Depends on source	Pure silver beaten into extremely thin leaf or milled into powder. Traditional vark was beaten between layers of animal hide, which modern production has largely replaced with other methods; the route is not declared.
Sodium copper chlorophyllin	Depends on source	Depends on source	Extracted from alfalfa, nettles or silkworm droppings, then treated to replace magnesium with copper. The silkworm route is used in parts of Asia, and the source is not declared.
Sodium stearoyl lactylate E481	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting stearic acid with lactic acid and neutralising with sodium. The stearic acid may come from plant oils or from animal fat, and the label will not say which.
Sodium stearyl fumarate	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting stearyl alcohol with fumaric acid and neutralising. The stearyl alcohol may be plant or animal in origin.
Sodium, potassium and calcium salts of fatty acids E470a	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by neutralising fatty acids with sodium, potassium or calcium. The fatty acids may come from vegetable oils or animal fats, and the source is not declared.
Sorbitan monolaurate E493	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by esterifying sorbitol with lauric acid, which comes mainly from coconut and palm kernel oil, though a fat blend is possible.
Sorbitan monooleate E494	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by esterifying sorbitol with oleic acid, which is usually of plant origin but may come from animal fat.
Sorbitan monopalmitate E495	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by esterifying sorbitol with palmitic acid, which may come from palm oil or from animal fat.
Sorbitan monostearate E491	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by esterifying sorbitol with stearic acid. The sorbitol comes from starch; the stearic acid may be of plant or animal origin and is not usually declared.
Sorbitan tristearate E492	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by esterifying sorbitol with three stearic acid chains. The stearic acid may be of plant or animal origin.
Stearic acid	Depends on source	Depends on source	Obtained by splitting fats and oils. Vegetable fats such as palm oil and animal tallow are both used, and the finished acid is chemically identical either way — so the label cannot tell you which it was.
Stearyl alcohol	Depends on source	Depends on source	The sources cited here do not state where it comes from. Fatty alcohols can be made from plant or animal fats, so the origin of a given product has to be asked of its maker.
Stearyl citrate INS 484	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting citric acid with stearyl alcohol, which may derive from plant or animal fats.
Stearyl monoglyceridyl citrate	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting a monoglyceride with citric acid and stearyl alcohol. The fatty components may be plant or animal.
Succinylated monoglycerides	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting monoglycerides with succinic anhydride. The underlying fat may be plant or animal.
Succistearin (stearoyl propylene glycol hydrogen succinate)	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made from propylene glycol, stearic acid and succinic anhydride. The stearic acid may be plant or animal in origin.
Sucroglycerides E474	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting sucrose directly with an edible fat or oil, which yields both sucrose esters and glycerides together. The fat may be plant or animal.
Sucrose	Depends on source	Yes	Extracted and crystallised from sugar cane or sugar beet. One detail is not on any label: some cane refineries decolourise with bone char, made from cattle bone, while beet sugar never uses it. Nothing from the char remains in the sugar, but its use is why some vegans avoid non-organic cane sugar.
Sucrose esters of fatty acids E473	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by esterifying sucrose with fatty acids. The sucrose comes from cane or beet; the fatty acids may be plant or animal in origin and are not usually declared.
Sucrose Oligoesters, Type I and Type II INS 473a	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by esterifying sucrose with fatty acids, which may be plant or animal in origin.
Sulfated butyl oleate	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting butyl oleate with sulfuric acid. The oleic acid may be plant or animal in origin.
Synthetic flavoring substances and adjuvants	Depends on source	Depends on source	Individually synthesised compounds, most of which also occur in nature. A synthetic and a natural version of the same compound are chemically identical; the distinction is regulatory and about the route, not the molecule.
Tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids E472d	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting mono- and diglycerides with tartaric acid. The underlying fats may be plant or animal in origin.
Thermally oxidized soya bean oil interacted with mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids E479b	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by heating soya bean oil in air and reacting the product with mono- and diglycerides. The soya oil is of plant origin; the glycerides may not be.
Triacetin E1518	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting glycerol with acetic acid. The glycerol may be plant or animal in origin.
Tributyrin	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting glycerol with butyric acid. It occurs naturally in butter.
Vitamin A	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by chemical synthesis for fortification use, though vitamin A also occurs naturally in fish liver oils and dairy fat. Preparations are commonly stabilised in a gelatin matrix, which is a dietary question about the preparation rather than the vitamin.
Vitamin D	Depends on source	Depends on source	D2 is produced by ultraviolet irradiation of yeast or fungal sterols. D3 is normally made from lanolin, though a lichen-derived vegan D3 exists. A label saying only vitamin D does not distinguish them.
Zinc stearate	Depends on source	Depends on source	Made by reacting stearic acid with a zinc source. The stearic acid may be plant or animal in origin.

No animal starting material 1

Additive	Vegan	Vegetarian	What it is made from
Ethyl alcohol	Yes	Yes	Produced by fermenting sugars with yeast, or synthetically from ethylene. Its use as a food solvent raises a halal question that its function does not resolve.

What this list is not

It is not a list of foods, and it is not dietary advice. It lists additives, not what a food contains. Processing aids, carriers and other ingredients can bring in animal material that no additive entry covers. Each additive’s page gives the full derivation.