Glycerine is a sugar alcohol derived from animal products, plants or petroleum. Vegetable #glycerine is the variant made from plant oils. It is made by heating triglyceride-rich vegetable fats — such as palm, soy and coconut oils — under pressure or together with a strong alkali, such as lye. This causes the glycerine to split away from the fatty acids and mix together with water, forming an odorless, sweet-tasting, syrup-like liquid. Glycerine is widely used in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries.
It’s most common uses are:
Thickening agent in #Cosmetics and #Foods
Emulsifier and humectant in Cosmetics
Sweetening agent
Plasticizer in Packaging, Paints and Paper industry
Preservative in many industries, such as foods and #beverages, etc.
In foods and beverages, glycerine functions variously as a humectant, solvent, preservative and sweetener. It is also used in skin creams, body washes, shampoos and soaps for its lubricating, moisturizing and clarifying properties. Due to its benign nature it can be safely ingested, and is used to sweeten and thicken cough syrups, elixirs and expectorants, toothpastes, mouthwashes and hand sanitizer. In liquid detergents, glycerin has an important role as viscosity regulator, solvent and clarifying agent.
Applications
Health Care:
• Excipient use only
• Used medical and pharmaceutical preparations, mainly as a means of improving smoothness, providing lubrication and #humectants
• Suppositories, cough syrups, elixirs and expectorants
Personal Care:
• Excipient use only • Serves as humectants, solvent and lubricant in personal care products • Competes with sorbitol, although glycerin has better taste and higher solubility • Toothpaste, mouthwashes, skin care products • Hand sanitizer
Foods and Beverages:
• Serves as humectants, solvent, and #sweetener
• Solvent for flavours and food coloring
• Humectant and softening agent in candy, cakes and casings for meats and cheeses
• Manufacture of mono- and di-glycerides for use as emulsifiers
• Used in manufacture of polyglycerol esters going into shortenings and margarine
• Used as filler in low-fat food products (e.g., cookies)
Other:
• Epichlorohydrin Production • Mono Propylene Glycol Production • Manufacturing of paper as a plasticizer, humectant and lubricant • Humectant for pet foods to retain #moisture and enhance palatability • Used in lubricating, sizing, and softening of yarn and fabric • Used in de-/anti-icing fluids
Blends is the UK's biggest supplier of Glycerine for the food industry. We supply other commodities such as Monopropylene Glycol (M.P.G), MCT (Medium Chain Triglycerides), Citric Acid, Glucose, Sucralose, Sunflower Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Dextrose, Guar Gum, Lecithin, Potassium Sorbate and many more.
We are constantly searching for and developing market-leading technologies and ingredients. For over twenty years we have been supplying the food industry with the highest quality products. Our experience allows us to confidently anticipate trends and changes in the international commodity market.
Our dedicated and highly skilled team of experts study supply and demand situations, and our commercial knowledge of coverage levels, effective prices, and demand dynamics helps to offer the best price and the highest quality of ingredients for our customers.
Our site has BRC certification, and we have the accreditations to provide both Kosher and Halal products. We have automated filling systems, which combined with our BRC compliant quality systems ensure that quality is second to none.