What is E1000?

Complete guide to understanding E1000 (Cholic Acid) in your food

The Quick Answer

E1000 is cholic acid (also called cholic acid or glycocholic acid), a primary bile acid used as a food emulsifier to improve fat distribution and texture in foods—functioning as a naturally-derived emulsifier sourced from animal bile that facilitates mixing of fat and water-based ingredients.

It’s a bile acid compound sourced from bovine (cattle) and ovine (sheep) bile as a by-product of meat processing, used in minimal quantities as an emulsifying agent to improve product consistency and prevent fat separation in certain food applications.

E1000 cholic acid is RARELY USED in food applications—far less common than synthetic emulsifiers (lecithins, polysorbates)—functioning as an emulsifier with official regulatory approval, natural origin from animal bile sources, and well-established safety profile from centuries of use as a laxative and choleretic compound in traditional medicine.

The Critical Context—Natural Emulsifier With Limited Food Application

E1000 cholic acid is a naturally-derived emulsifier extracted from animal bile sources, approved by multiple regulatory authorities with a well-established safety profile from centuries of traditional medicinal use, yet EXTREMELY RARELY USED in commercial food applications, where synthetic emulsifiers (lecthin, polysorbates, gums) have largely supplanted bile acids for practical and commercial reasons.

What Exactly Is It?

E1000 is cholic acid (3α,7α,12α-trihydroxy-5β-cholan-24-oic acid), a primary bile acid with molecular formula C₂₄H₄₀NO₅ and molecular weight of 408.58 g/mol.

Cholic acid is one of the two primary bile acids naturally produced by the human liver from cholesterol (the other being chenodeoxycholic acid). It is a natural biological compound that functions in fat emulsification and absorption in the digestive system. When extracted and concentrated from animal bile sources, cholic acid can be used as a food additive to provide similar emulsifying function.

Physically, E1000 appears as a white crystalline powder comprised of aggregated polycrystalline particles. It is practically insoluble in water (<0.1 g/100 mL at 20°C) and in acidic solutions, but sparingly soluble in alkaline solutions and alcohol. This limited water solubility creates practical challenges for food formulation, requiring specialized solubilization techniques or use in specific applications where solubility limitations are manageable.

Chemically, E1000 functions as an emulsifier through a biological mechanism identical to its natural role in the body: the carboxyl group (-COOH) at one end provides hydrophilicity (water-affinity), while the steroid ring structure and hydroxyl groups provide lipophilicity (fat-affinity). This amphiphilic (having both water and fat affinity) structure allows cholic acid to position itself at fat-water interfaces, breaking large fat droplets into smaller micelles and facilitating stable emulsions.

Where You’ll Find It

E1000 cholic acid appears in VERY LIMITED commercial food applications:

• Specialized food formulations (extremely rare)
• Some pharmaceutical food supplements
• Rare emulsified food products
• Specialized dietary formulations
• Fat-containing food systems requiring emulsification (limited use)

E1000 is EXTREMELY RARELY USED in commercial food products. Unlike synthetic emulsifiers (E322 lecithin, E432-E436 polysorbates, E412 guar gum), cholic acid has NOT achieved significant commercial adoption in food applications. The compound’s practical limitations (poor water solubility, specialized sourcing, cost) and the availability of more practical synthetic alternatives explain this minimal usage. Most food manufacturers prefer synthetic emulsifiers offering better solubility, stability, and cost-effectiveness.

Why Do Food Companies (Rarely) Use It?

E1000 performs one critical function when used, though commercial adoption remains minimal:

Natural fat emulsification through bile acid mechanism: When used, E1000 cholic acid provides natural emulsification of fats in aqueous systems through the same biological mechanism as the body’s own bile acids. The compound’s amphiphilic structure allows it to stabilize fat-water interfaces, creating fine fat dispersions and preventing fat separation. The natural origin and time-tested safety profile appeal to manufacturers emphasizing “natural” positioning.

Why commercial adoption remains minimal: Despite these advantages, E1000 has NOT achieved significant commercial food adoption due to practical disadvantages: poor water solubility (requiring special formulation techniques), higher cost than synthetic alternatives, limited sourcing availability, animal-origin status problematic for vegetarian/vegan positioning, and superior performance of specialized synthetic emulsifiers. Food manufacturers overwhelmingly prefer E322 (lecithin, plant-derived), E412 (guar gum, plant-derived), or E432-E436 (polysorbates, synthetic) which offer better solubility, stability, and cost-effectiveness.

Is It Safe?

E1000’s safety status is WELL-ESTABLISHED with exceptional approval credentials—the compound has been used as a medicinal ingredient for over a century and functions identically to the body’s own natural bile acids, with multiple regulatory approvals reflecting this safety confidence.

Regulatory Status—Strong Safety Credentials:

• FDA (USA): GRAS approved (indirect additive for food contact polymers); also approved as pharmaceutical active ingredient for treating bile acid synthesis disorders
• EFSA (Europe): Approved for food use; supported by clinical evidence from pharmaceutical applications
• JECFA (WHO/FAO): Approved for food use
• Medicinal approval: Licensed as pharmaceutical medication (Cholbam, Orphacol, Kolbam) for treating inborn bile acid synthesis disorders—indicating extensive safety evaluation

Documented safety findings:

• No genotoxicity: No evidence of genotoxic potential
• No carcinogenicity: No evidence of carcinogenic potential
• No acute toxicity: Safe at food-use levels; pharmaceutical doses far exceed food levels
• Natural physiological function: Cholic acid is naturally produced by the liver; body has complex regulatory mechanisms for bile acid homeostasis
• Metabolism: Cholic acid and its derivatives (glycocholic acid, taurocholic acid) are naturally metabolized and excreted; no tissue accumulation
• Pharmaceutical evidence: Extensive clinical studies document safety in treating bile acid synthesis disorders; therapeutic use involves high doses compared to food use
• Allergy/Sensitivity: No documented food allergy or sensitivity concerns; not a common allergen
• Microbiota effects: Bile acids including cholic acid have complex interactions with gut microbiota; effects are generally beneficial (facilitating fat digestion and nutrient absorption)

Natural Origin and Sourcing

E1000 cholic acid is extracted from bovine (cattle) and ovine (sheep) bile—a by-product of meat processing industry—making it a naturally-derived additive with beneficial waste utilization:

Cholic acid is produced in the liver from cholesterol and secreted into bile. In the food production process, cattle and sheep bile is collected as a by-product of meat slaughter and processing. The bile is concentrated, and cholic acid is isolated through acid hydrolysis (removing conjugated amino acids like glycine and taurine), precipitation, and purification. The final product is white crystalline cholic acid—chemically identical to the cholic acid naturally produced by humans.

This sourcing model represents waste utilization: converting an otherwise-discarded meat processing by-product into a useful food ingredient. However, the animal origin makes E1000 unsuitable for vegetarian and vegan consumers.

Production Method

E1000 cholic acid is produced through extraction and purification from animal bile:

1. Bovine or ovine bile is collected as by-product from meat processing and slaughter facilities
2. Bile is concentrated through appropriate methods
3. Conjugated bile salts (glycocholic acid, taurocholic acid) are hydrolyzed under alkaline conditions, cleaving the conjugated amino acids (glycine, taurine) from cholic acid
4. Cholic acid is recovered through precipitation using acidification
5. Solvent extraction and washing purify the cholic acid
6. Product is crystallized, dried, milled, and standardized for purity
7. Final product meets specifications for pharmaceutical and food-grade cholic acid

Production is fully natural-origin (animal bile source) combined with chemical processing (hydrolysis, precipitation, crystallization).

Comparison with Synthetic Emulsifiers

E1000 cholic acid shares emulsifying function with numerous synthetic alternatives but remains extremely limited in commercial adoption:

• E322 (Lecithin): Plant-derived natural emulsifier; superior water solubility; far more commonly used; preferred choice
• E412 (Guar gum): Plant-derived; thickening and emulsifying properties; better water solubility than E1000
• E432-E436 (Polysorbates): Synthetic emulsifiers; superior water solubility and stability; most commonly used in modern food
• E470a-E495 (Fatty acid esters, mono/diglycerides): Plant or animal-derived emulsifiers; widely used; better properties than cholic acid
• E1000 (Cholic acid): Natural but animal-derived; poor water solubility; rarely used; limited commercial adoption despite natural origin

The rarity of E1000 use reflects practical disadvantages outweighing its natural-origin advantage.

Pharmaceutical Applications—Extensive Safety Data

E1000 cholic acid is extensively studied and approved as a pharmaceutical active ingredient, providing robust safety evidence exceeding that required for food additives:

Cholic acid is approved and marketed in multiple pharmaceutical formulations (Cholbam in USA; Orphacol and Kolbam in EU) for treating inborn errors of primary bile acid synthesis due to single enzyme defects. These conditions cause deficiency of bile acid production, resulting in toxic bile acid precursor accumulation and liver disease. Cholic acid replacement therapy provides exogenous bile acid, suppressing toxic precursor production through negative feedback and improving fat-soluble vitamin absorption.

The pharmaceutical approval involved extensive clinical trials in children and adults, pharmacokinetic studies, long-term safety follow-up, and manufacturing quality assessment. The resulting pharmaceutical data demonstrates exceptional safety far exceeding the evidence required for food additive approval. This pharmaceutical approval strengthens confidence in E1000’s food safety.

Environmental and Sustainability

E1000 production from animal bile represents waste utilization and sustainability benefit—converting a slaughter by-product into a useful ingredient rather than disposal. However, the animal origin raises ethical concerns for consumers avoiding animal-derived ingredients. From a resource perspective, E1000 production is sustainable and environmentally-friendly through waste reduction.

Not Vegan/Vegetarian

E1000 cholic acid is NOT suitable for vegetarian or vegan consumers as it is extracted from bovine and ovine bile—direct animal-derived products from slaughter processing. Vegetarian and vegan consumers must avoid products labeled as containing “cholic acid” or “E1000.”

Consumer Actions Regarding E1000

For consumers concerned about E1000:

• If avoiding animal-derived additives: exclude E1000; check labels for “cholic acid”
• Due to E1000’s extremely rare food use, avoidance is practical (most consumers unlikely to encounter it)
• For vegetarian/vegan consumers: E1000 is animal-derived and unsuitable
• If seeking food safety concerns: E1000 has exceptional safety profile; risk is minimal compared to other additives
• Primary concern is ethical/dietary (animal origin) rather than safety

The Bottom Line

E1000 (cholic acid) is a naturally-derived emulsifier extracted from bovine and ovine bile sources (by-product of meat processing industry), approved by FDA, EFSA, and JECFA for food use, with an exceptional safety profile supported by centuries of medicinal use and extensive pharmaceutical approval as an active ingredient for treating bile acid synthesis disorders, functioning identically to the body’s own primary bile acid and producing no documented toxicity or adverse effects—yet EXTREMELY RARELY USED in commercial food applications where synthetic emulsifiers (lecithin, polysorbates, gums) offer superior practical properties (water solubility, stability, cost-effectiveness), making E1000 an essentially obsolete food additive in modern food manufacturing despite excellent natural origin and safety credentials.

E1000 is a primary bile acid that functions as an emulsifier through its amphiphilic structure: carboxyl group providing water-affinity; steroid ring structure and hydroxyl groups providing fat-affinity. It is extracted and purified from animal bile through acid hydrolysis and crystallization. Chemically, it is identical to one of the two primary bile acids naturally produced by the human liver.

The critical distinction of E1000 is the paradox: it possesses exceptional natural origin and safety credentials (centuries of traditional medicinal use, pharmaceutical approval at high doses for treating serious metabolic disorders, zero documented toxicity), yet remains essentially unused in modern food manufacturing. The reasons are practical rather than safety-related: poor water solubility (limiting formulation options), higher cost, limited sourcing availability, and superior alternatives (E322 lecithin, E412-E418 gums, E432-E436 polysorbates) that offer better water solubility, stability, and cost-effectiveness.

E1000’s regulatory approval reflects confidence in its safety. The compound is biologically identical to the natural cholic acid produced by human livers, and its pharmaceutical use (Cholbam, Orphacol, Kolbam) at doses far exceeding food-use levels demonstrates extensive safety evaluation. No genotoxic, carcinogenic, or acute toxicity concerns exist. Pharmaceutical evidence documents safety in treating bile acid synthesis disorders in children and adults.

The primary practical concern with E1000 is not safety but ethical/dietary: the animal origin (from cattle and sheep bile) makes it unsuitable for vegetarian and vegan consumers. For the general population, E1000 represents an extremely rare food additive with exceptional safety credentials but essentially no modern commercial application due to practical limitations favoring synthetic alternatives.

For consumers, the likelihood of encountering E1000 in food is minimal. The additive’s extreme rarity in commercial food use means it is not a practical concern for most dietary decision-making. When encountered, E1000 represents a naturally-derived additive with the strongest possible safety profile (matching the body’s own natural bile acids), but unsuitable for those avoiding animal-derived ingredients.