What are diglycerides?

Diglycerides are fats. They are common food ingredients that are either derived from natural products or are synthetic. They are often referred to as incomplete fats because they do not contain the same number of fatty acids as most natural fats or triglycerides. While triglyceride has three fatty acids connected to a single glycerol molecule through ester bond, diglyceride has only two fatty acids. The monoglyceride contains only one fatty acid connected to the glycerol molecule that gives it the properties and applications similar to diglycerides.

Diglycerides are surface molecules that both attract and repel at the same time. Thanks to these hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties, they make them excellent emulsification, because they are soluble in fat and water. While substances such as oil and water are naturally separated, adding the emulsifier can help disperse the molecules evenly. UmoFor example, baked goods are to maintain moisture and freshness longer. In addition, they maintain ingredients in products such as peanut butter, salad dressing and margarine before separation. They are also found as emulsifiers in ice creams as they help maintain the right viscosity and maintain texture smooth and creamy in a frozen state.

Often there are questions about the safety of diglycerides in frequently consumed foods. American food and drug administration (FDA) placed them on their generally recognized as a safe (gras) list, suggesting that experts consider them safe as food additives. You can also find them on the list of food ingredients approved by the European Union (EU). However, vegetarians may have to take further measures because some diglycerides are derived from animyl products and it is often difficult to identify a real source.

Although there were also concernsRegarding the fat calories present in diglycerides, it is generally agreed that the amount present in most food products is so minimal that there is virtually no caloric impact of normal food consumption. Many produced products containing diglyceride additives can be described as "fat -free" because the FDA are too small to recognize the consumer as fat.