What is E472?

Complete guide to understanding E472 (Esters of Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids) in your food

The Quick Answer

E472 is actually a family of emulsifiers made from mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids that are chemically bonded with different organic acids.

The most common types are E472a (acetic acid esters), E472b (lactic acid esters), E472c (citric acid esters), and E472e (diacetyl tartaric acid esters, also called DATEM).

Each type is used for specific functions in bread, cakes, ice cream, and other processed foods, with E472e (DATEM) being particularly famous as the “dough conditioner” in commercial bread production.

What Exactly Is It?

E472 is a group of emulsifiers created by chemically bonding mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids with different organic acids.

Each variant uses a different organic acid to modify the properties of the base glyceride:

All E472 types share a similar basic structure: they are derived from edible fats (usually from soybean, palm, coconut, or sunflower oils), but the different organic acids give each type distinct performance characteristics.

The body breaks down all E472 types during digestion into their component parts—glycerol, fatty acids, and the organic acids—which are then metabolized normally.

Where You’ll Find Them

E472 additives appear across virtually all categories of processed foods:

• Bread and rolls: E472e (DATEM) is almost universally used in commercial bread production
• Cakes and pastries: Multiple E472 types for texture and shelf life
• Biscuits and cookies: For structure, crispness, and stability
• Croissants and laminated doughs: E472e for extensibility and strength
• Ice cream and frozen desserts: E472c for smooth texture and ice crystal prevention
• Whipped products and toppings: E472a for foam stability
• Chocolate products: E472c to prevent fat bloom
• Margarines and spreads: For emulsification and consistency
• Beverages and sauces: E472c for acidic systems
• Processed meats and fish: For texture and water retention
• Coffee whiteners and dairy analogs: For stability and mouthfeel
• Shortenings and cooking fats: For plasticity and oxidative stability

E472e (DATEM) in particular is so common in commercial bread that finding bread without it is difficult in most supermarkets.

Why Do Food Companies Use Them?

Each E472 type serves specific technical functions, making them invaluable to food manufacturers for different applications.

E472a (ACETEM):

• Improves dough stability and reduces stickiness
• Provides excellent freeze-thaw stability in frozen dough
• Enhances aeration in whipped products
• Delays bread staling during storage
• Creates better crumb structure in frozen systems

E472b (LACTEM):

• Acts as a powerful dough strengthener without over-tightening
• Increases gas retention, boosting loaf volume
• Produces fine crumb structure
• Improves cream fillings and whipped emulsions
• Balances texture between strength and softness

E472c (CITREM):

• Provides excellent antioxidant synergy, extending shelf life
• Improves aeration and emulsion stability
• Works effectively in low-pH systems (acidic beverages)
• Prevents fat separation in ice cream and dairy products
• Improves plasticity in margarines

E472e (DATEM):

• Superior dough conditioning and gluten strengthening
• Allows dough to trap maximum gas during fermentation
• Essential for high-speed industrial bread lines
• Produces uniform crumb structure in large-scale production
• Enhances elasticity in croissants and laminated doughs
• Typical usage: 0.375–0.5% of flour weight in commercial baking

The ability to use small amounts of E472 emulsifiers (typically 0.1–0.5% depending on type and product) to achieve significant improvements in texture, volume, and shelf life makes them economically essential to the food manufacturing industry.

Is It Safe?

E472 emulsifiers are widely approved by major regulatory authorities and are considered safe at approved use levels.

Both the FDA and EFSA have authorized their use, and they appear on approved additives lists worldwide.

Safety profile:

• FDA recognizes E472e (DATEM) and other E472 types as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS)
• EFSA re-evaluated E472a–f in 2020 and found no safety concerns at reported use levels
• All E472 types are extensively hydrolyzed in the gastrointestinal tract into their component parts
• The body metabolizes these components identically to normal dietary fats and organic acids
• No evidence of tissue accumulation or toxic effects
• Decades of use without documented widespread adverse effects

Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI):

• E472a, E472b, E472c: “No ADI specified”—meaning EFSA found no need for a numerical limit because safety margin is large
• E472d, E472e, E472f: Group ADI of 240 mg/kg body weight per day (based on tartaric acid content from hydrolysis)
• For a 70 kg person (154 lbs), this equals approximately 16,800 mg per day—far exceeding realistic dietary exposure

Exposure assessment:

EFSA calculated exposure estimates for all food categories where E472 additives are used and found no safety concern at reported use levels. The actual dietary exposure from normal food consumption is significantly below safety thresholds.

Natural vs Synthetic Version

E472 emulsifiers are synthesized, though they’re made from natural starting materials:

Starting materials: The base mono- and diglycerides come from natural edible fats and oils (soybean, palm, coconut, sunflower), which can be plant or animal-derived.

Manufacturing process: The organic acids (acetic, lactic, citric, or tartaric acid) are chemically bonded to the glycerides through esterification reactions in controlled industrial processes.

Plant-based production: Most modern E472 production uses plant-derived fatty acids, making them suitable for vegetarian/vegan products when confirmed on labels.

Chemically identical: Regardless of whether starting materials come from plants or animals, the final products are chemically identical, and the body metabolizes them the same way.

Natural Alternatives

Want to avoid E472 or use other emulsifiers?

Some alternatives include:

• Lecithin (E322) – From soybeans or eggs; more expensive but increasingly common
• Mono- and diglycerides without modification (E471) – Different emulsifier with some overlapping applications
• Sucrose esters (E473) – For many baking applications, though different properties
• Whole eggs and egg yolks – Traditional emulsifier; more expensive
• Gums (guar, xanthan, acacia) – Plant-based thickeners and stabilizers
• Sourdough fermentation – Natural dough conditioning through long fermentation
• Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) – Natural oxidizing agent that can partially replace E472e in some applications

Artisanal and premium products more commonly use these alternatives, though costs are typically 2–5 times higher than using E472 emulsifiers.

The Bottom Line

E472 (esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids) represents a family of essential food emulsifiers, with E472e (DATEM) being particularly important to commercial breadmaking.

Different E472 types (a, b, c, e) serve distinct technical purposes in bread, cakes, ice cream, and other processed foods.

Regulatory bodies including the FDA and EFSA have determined all E472 types are safe for consumption at approved use levels based on extensive safety data and decades of use.

The body breaks down E472 emulsifiers into natural components—glycerol, fatty acids, and organic acids—that are metabolized normally.

E472e (DATEM) is particularly widespread in commercial bread production because of its superior dough-conditioning properties, making it difficult to avoid if you regularly consume supermarket bread. However, this also reflects its proven safety track record over decades of intensive use.

For consumers who prefer to minimize synthetic additives, artisanal bakeries, sourdough products, and specialty brands using traditional methods or natural emulsifiers remain available options.