What is E474?
Complete guide to understanding E474 (Sucroglycerides) in your food
The Quick Answer
E474 is a food emulsifier and stabilizer made from sucrose (sugar) chemically bonded with both fatty acids and glycerides (mono- and diglycerides from fats or oils).
It’s used in food to blend oil and water, improve texture, stabilize products, and enhance other emulsifiers.
It’s similar to E473 (sucrose esters) but contains additional fatty acid glycerides, giving it different technical properties.
📌 Quick Facts
- Category: Emulsifier, stabilizer, thickener, and texturizer
- Also known as: Sucroglycerides, Sucrose esters and glycerides, Sugar esters and glycerides
- Found in: Ice cream, dairy desserts, chocolate drinks, candy, baked goods, sauces, processed meats, chewing gum, beverages
- Safety: Approved in most countries; not approved in some nations
- Approval status: EU approved; approved in most Commonwealth countries; prohibited in some nations
- Important note: Forbidden in infant formula and baby food products
- Common form: White or off-white powder, semi-solid mass, odorless or slightly sweet
What Exactly Is It?
E474 is a complex mixture of three types of compounds obtained from sucrose and edible fats/oils:
• Mono- and di-esters of sucrose and fatty acids
• Mono- and diglycerides from fats or oils
• Minor amounts of unreacted sucrose and triglycerides
The product is created through transesterification—a chemical reaction between sucrose and edible oils or fats—often using solvents like dimethyl formamide, cyclohexane, isobutanol, isopropanol, or ethyl acetate.
The resulting compound is immiscible with water (doesn’t dissolve easily), requiring solvent treatment to dissolve it for food applications.
E474 has been in use since at least 1963, making it one of the longer-established emulsifier additives.
Where You’ll Find It
E474 appears in a wide variety of processed foods:
• Dairy desserts and ice cream
• Yogurt and drinking yogurt
• Chocolate and cocoa drinks
• Eggnog and beverage whiteners
• Sorbets and frozen desserts
• Confectionery and candy
• Chocolate products
• Baked and fine bakery goods
• Processed meat and heat-treated meat products
• Soups and broths
• Sauces and gravies
• Chewing gum
• Soft and alcoholic beverages
• Powders for instant drinks
• Dietary and weight-reduction supplements
E474 is particularly common in dairy-based desserts and chocolate products.
Many consumers who regularly eat processed desserts and chocolate drinks will consume E474 multiple times per week.
Why Do Food Companies Use It?
E474’s primary functions are emulsification, stabilization, and thickening, with particular value in water-based formulations.
E474 provides manufacturers with multiple benefits:
• Water-based emulsification: Works effectively in oil-in-water systems, making it ideal for dairy desserts and beverages
• Stabilization: Prevents separation and settling in complex products
• Texture improvement: Enhances creaminess and mouthfeel in ice cream and yogurt
• Thickening: Increases viscosity and body in sauces and drinks
• Enhanced dispersibility: Improves how ingredients disperse throughout the product
• Biodegradability: Non-toxic and highly biodegradable compared to some alternatives
• Cost efficiency: Relatively inexpensive compared to some natural alternatives
• Flexibility: Works in diverse formulations with varying pH and temperature requirements
• Fat absorption enhancement: Particularly valued in animal feed for improving fat digestion
The water-based nature of E474 makes it particularly suited to dairy products, where water content is high and stable emulsification is critical.
Is It Safe?
E474’s safety status is more complex than some other emulsifiers.
While E474 is approved in the EU and most Commonwealth countries, its approval status varies internationally, and there is no formal Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) established by JECFA (Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives).
Known safety information:
• Approved as safe for general food use in the EU and UK
• No set maximum daily dose established
• The body breaks down E474 into sucrose and fatty acids through normal digestion
• Considered “conditionally harmful” in some regulatory contexts
• Classified as safe in some countries but prohibited in others
• Forbidden in infant formula and baby food products (important restriction)
• No documented widespread safety incidents at approved usage levels
Why isn’t there an ADI?
Unlike many food additives, E474 hasn’t been formally assigned an ADI value. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s unsafe—rather, there may be insufficient data for establishing a specific safe intake level, or regulatory bodies considered it less of a priority for detailed risk assessment.
Cautions and vulnerable groups:
The first source indicated that “people with metabolic disorders should avoid consuming products containing E474”, though specific disorders were not named. This suggests individuals with conditions affecting fat metabolism, digestive disorders, or malabsorption syndromes may want to limit consumption.
Natural vs Synthetic Version
E474 is synthesized rather than occurring naturally:
Starting materials: Sucrose comes from natural sugar, and fats can be plant-based (palm, coconut) or animal-derived. However, E474 itself is synthetically manufactured.
Manufacturing process: Created through transesterification—a controlled chemical reaction between sucrose and edible oils/fats, typically using organic solvents.
Solvent use: The manufacturing process requires solvents (dimethyl formamide, cyclohexane, isobutanol, isopropanol, or ethyl acetate) because the resulting product doesn’t naturally dissolve in water or fat.
Plant or animal origin: Most modern producers use plant-based fats (palm, coconut, soybean), making E474 potentially suitable for vegetarian/vegan products when verified.
Final product: Regardless of source, the end product is chemically synthesized, and the body processes it identically.
Natural Alternatives
Want to avoid E474 or use other stabilizers?
Some alternatives include:
• Lecithin (E322) – From soybeans or eggs; more expensive but increasingly available
• Sucrose esters (E473) – Similar but without the glyceride component; different technical properties
• Mono- and diglycerides (E471) – Another emulsifier class with similar applications
• Gums (guar, xanthan, pectin, acacia) – Plant-based thickeners and stabilizers
• Natural stabilizers – Gelatin, agar, carrageenan (seaweed-derived)
• Starch – Modified starches provide thickening and stabilization
• Whole eggs – Traditional emulsifier in premium ice cream and desserts
These alternatives often cost significantly more, which is why E474 remains popular in mass-market products. Premium brands and specialized products more commonly use alternatives.
The Bottom Line
E474 (sucroglycerides) is a complex food emulsifier and stabilizer used primarily in dairy desserts and chocolate products.
It’s approved for use in the EU and most Commonwealth countries but prohibited in some nations.
Critically, E474 is forbidden in infant formula and baby food products—a regulatory safeguard you should verify when purchasing these items.
E474 is considered safe by regulatory authorities in approving countries, though notably it lacks a formal Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) value, suggesting some regulatory caution remains.
For most healthy adults at normal consumption levels, E474 is considered safe, though individuals with metabolic or digestive disorders may want to consult their healthcare provider.
Understanding which products contain E474—and particularly confirming its absence in baby formula and baby food—helps you make informed purchasing decisions.