Vegetable Glycerin

Vegetable glycerine (C3H5(OH)3) is an incredibly versatile ingredient that fills a role in almost every industry. Food ingredient supplier Bell Chem stocks this clear, sweet-tasting, odorless, and viscous liquid for industries ranging from foods and beverages to dynamite and biodiesel. 

With a name derived from the Greek word glukeros (sweet), it is no wonder vegetable glycerin is often added to items we consume. But where does this important ingredient originate? Vegetable glycerin’s main components include coconut, palm, and soybean oil. When any of these oils are heated with a strong base, such as lye, the glycerin breaks its bonds with the fatty acids forming triglycerides. Vegetable fat then mixes with water to form glycerin. And a water-soluble vegetable fat has hundreds of clever uses. Take a look at some of the industries vegetable glycerin is utilized in: 

Cosmetics
The creamy feel of lotions, makeup, and deodorants is often because vegetable glycerin is an ingredient.

Foods and Beverages
Ice cream left too long in the freezer forms ice crystals. Add glycerol while processing frozen foods and your foods will last longer. Vegetable glycerin acts as a humectant, solvent, sweetener, and thickener to canned foods, bakery goods, processed fruits, and energy bars.

Health and Wellness
Glycerin is touted as being a moisturizer for overly dry skin. It also is said to give skin more resiliency. For skin, glycerin has been proven to soothe irritation and is often applied to the skin to protect against natural elements, such as wind and bitter cold, as an aid in wound healing and discomfort, and as a barrier against topical microbial infection.

Industrial
When partnered with sulfuric acid and nitric acid, glycerin becomes nitroglycerin, the liquid portion of dynamite. On a lighter note, candles and soaps also contain vegetable glycerin.

Pharmaceuticals
Vegetable glycerin is often an ingredient in stool softeners and other constipation aids since it eases the passage of foods through the digestive system. Added to cough syrups, the viscous fluid coats irritated passages with a sweet flavor. In toothpaste, vegetable glycerin prevents toothpaste from hardening inside the container and has been approved by the FDA as an anti-cavity drug.

Bell Chem is a food and ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in its 50,000+ square-foot warehouse. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.