What Are Emulsifiers in Food and Should You Avoid Them?
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Fact checked by Sarah Scott
Key Takeaways
Emulsifiers are added to foods to help stabilize mixtures that would normally be naturally separated, like oil and vinegar.
Some data raises the question of whether consuming emulsifiers can be linked to heart health and gut health concerns.
More quality data is needed before determining people should avoid added emulsifiers.
If you search the term "emulsifiers" on social media, you will be presented with thousands of posts suggesting that these ingredients are wreaking havoc on your gut health, mental health, and more.
According to a recent study published in the British Medical Journal, there may be a link between the risk of cardiovascular disease and the intake of certain food additive emulsifiers.
Yet emulsifiers are added to many foods, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deems them safe to consume. Food emulsifiers undergo safety assessments before approval for use in foods, using the same approaches as other food additives.
Not all emulsifiers are created equal, and understanding how they impact your health starts with learning what the different types are.
What Are Emulsifiers?
Emulsifiers are ingredients that help stabilize mixtures and prevent the separation of ingredients that would normally not combine well, such as oil and water. These components improve the texture and consistency of some foods, making them more appealing to consumers.
Emulsifiers are among the most commonly-used additives in industrial foods owing to their thickening properties, which improve texture and lengthen shelf-life. They play unique roles for specific foods. For example, some emulsifiers, such as lecithin, guar gum, and carrageenan, prevent large ice crystals from forming in ice cream. Added lecithins are also what makes certain chocolates velvety smooth.
Not all emulsifiers are added to foods, as some are found naturally within foods as well, said Sarah Anzlovar,RDN, LDN, a Boston-based registered dietitian and owner of Sarah Gold Nutrition.
For example, although most lecithin emulsifier is made from processed soybean oil, lecithin is also found in foods such as eggs, liver, soybeans, peanuts, and wheat germ. So when you are eating a hard-boiled egg, you are eating lecithin, even though no emulsifier was physically added.
Emusifying pectins are also naturally present in fruits such as apples and pears.
It's possible to emulsify foods yourself without using additives.
"You might use mustard as an emulsifier in a homemade salad dressing instead of xanthan gum, which is commonly used in those found at the grocery store," Anzlovar told Verywell.
Some common synthetic food emulsifiers include:
Polysorbates: Synthetic emulsifiers used in ice creams to prevent it from melting too quickly
Sorbitan monostearate: A synthetic emulsifier used in yeast to keep it from drying out
Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC): A synthetic emulsifier used often in gluten-free baked goods to improve texture and shelf life
Natural emulsifiers include:
Agar: Used as a gelling agent or emulsifier in desserts and derived from red algae
Carrageenan: Extracted from red edible seaweeds, carrageenan is used in a wide variety of food and beverage products due to its gelling, thickening, and stabilizing properties.
Pectin: A natural emulsifier found in apples and other fruit and often used in jams, jellies, and baked goods
Arabic gum: Derived from the sap of the Acacia tree and used in baked goods and and soft drinks
Sunflower lecithin: Used in vegan and plant-based products as a substitute for egg lecithin
Mustard: The ground seeds of the mustard plant work as a natural emulsifier in dressings and mayonnaise
Honey: Often used as a natural emulsifier in bakery and confectionery products thanks to its complex composition
Lecithin: Naturally found in egg yolks and used in a variety of foods, including chocolates and margarine
Soy lecithin: A byproduct of soybean oil extraction used in a whole range of foods from salad dressings to baked goods
Acacia gum: A natural emulsifier derived from the Acacia tree, often used in soft drink concentrates and flavorings
Related: How Much Sugar Should You Really Have a Day?
Emulsifiers and Heart Health
Emulsifiers help make food more cohesive and are generally considered safe. But recent data has brought the question of whether emulsifier intake is linked to heart problems to light.
Using a French cohort of over 95,000 subjects, researchers used dietary records to assess whether there was an association between intake of emulsifiers and risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease.
After an average 7.4 year follow-up, the researchers found that:
Higher cellulose intake (like carboxymethylcellulose) was associated with higher cardiovascular and coronary heart disease risks. This emulsifier is often used as a thickener in ice cream and yogurt.
Higher intakes of monoglycerides and diglycerides of fatty acids were associated with higher risks of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease. These fats and oils are typically found in nature, such as sunflower, palm, or soybean oils.
Higher lactic ester of monoglycerides was associated with higher cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease risks. Sausages and hams lean on this emulsifier to help prevent oil and water from separating in the products, and it may help distribute the fat more evenly.
Higher intake of trisodium phosphate was associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. Popular foods containing trisodium phosphate include lunch meat, ham, and other processed meats.
Many foods that contain emulsifiers are considered ultra-processed, and they may contain more added sugar and/or salt compared to emulsifier-free foods. Notably, the researchers were able to isolate the role of emulsifiers on heart health from other factors associated with eating ultra-processed foods, suggesting that the observed effects were not due to confounding variables.
Should You Avoid Emulsifiers?
Heart health isn’t the only concern when evaluating emulsifiers. Past data also suggests that intake of certain emulsifiers is linked to negative effects on the gut microbiota, an increase in gastrointestinal inflammation, and gastrointestinal discomfort.
"Emulsifiers, especially natural ones, are generally considered safe to eat and undergo frequent FDA testing," registered dietitian Melissa Mitri, RD, a Connecticut-based dietitian explained. "But since people eat so many processed foods, there are concerns about the overconsumption of emulsifiers."
A series of studies have called into question the safety of certain emulsifiers and thickeners (namely, carrageenan, polysorbate 80, and carboxymethylcellulose), with their impact on the gut microbiota. These emulsifiers in some food additives can harm the gut microbiome and cause the intestinal tract to become inflamed.
Related: How Your Gut Health Affects Your Long COVID Risk
However, these studies weren't conducted on humans. Experimental doses of emulsifiers given in animal models are often much higher than average exposure in humans. Therefore, additional human studies are required to confirm the role of emulsifiers in gut inflammation.
Plus, many studies that show negative effects associated with emulsifier intake were only found among those with pre-existing conditions, like ulcerative colitis.
"While most people don’t need to avoid emulsifiers, eating a healthy diet that prioritizes whole, unprocessed foods most of the time will help you naturally limit your emulsifier consumption," Mitri said.
How To Limit Added Emulsifiers In Your Diet
Some easy kitchen swaps can help you avoid added emulsifiers while cooking.
Milk is a great natural emulsifier.The proteins in milk, especially casein and whey, have the ability to bind both water and oil-based ingredients, making it an excellent emulsifying agent. In baking, milk is often combined with butter (an oil-based ingredient) to create a smooth and uniform batter. When making a cream sauce or soup, the addition of milk can help integrate the water and fat components, resulting in a cohesive and creamy texture. Remember to whisk or blend your ingredients thoroughly to ensure a successful emulsion.
Aquafaba, the viscous water in which chickpeas have been cooked, is another remarkable natural emulsifier that you can make yourself. Rich in proteins and carbohydrates, it can bind water and oil together seamlessly. Its unique properties have made it a popular choice in vegan cuisine, where it often serves as an egg white substitute in recipes due to its ability to foam and set.
You can use aquafaba in various dishes, from meringue and mousse to vegan mayonnaise. Much like milk, aquafaba needs to be whisked or beaten to achieve the desired consistency and stability.
If you want to be more cognizant of the emulsifiers you're consuming in order to limit them, there are several things you can do:
DIY your condiments: Make your own salad dressings, sauces, and mayonnaises, using recipes that don’t include artificial emulsifiers.
Focus on whole foods: Choose fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains over processed options. These foods are naturally free of emulsifiers.
Read labels: Get in the habit of reading food labels. Emulsifiers are often listed as mono- and diglycerides, lecithin, or ingredients ending in "-ate" or "-ose" wherever the ingredients are listed (usually under the nutrition label).
Prepare meals at home: This allows you to control what goes into your food, reducing the likelihood of consuming emulsifiers.
Limit processed snacks: Replace packaged snacks with healthier alternatives like nuts, seeds, or homemade energy bars.
What This Means For You
It's very challenging to avoid emulsifiers altogether, since they're used in the manufacturing of many common foods. Consuming added emulsifiers once in a while is likely to have a much smaller potential effect on your health than consuming large quantities every day. Emulsifiers may be linked to negative health effects, but more quality data is needed before this can be proven.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
