Someone recently told me about a relative who was trying to avoid something called PGPR. This Cooking Tip is all about what PGPR is, which foods it is in, why, and whether you should also avoid it.
What is it?
PGPR stands for Polyglycerol Polyricinoleate. It is an emulsifier, which is an agent that helps to keep oil and water from separating. Think of what happens when you make a vinaigrette. The oil and water (vinegar) will not mix together without assistance. This is often done with vigorous whisking. Without any addition of an emulsifier, the two ingredients will again quickly separate. In our home kitchens, we frequently add mustard, which helps prevent separation for longer.
Where does it come from?
It is typically made from castor bean oil, although some sources say it may also be made from soybean and sunflower oil.
What does it do?
According to Chemsino, a leading food emulsifier manufacturer, these are some of the effects that PGPR can help food producers attain.
Improves chocolate texture
As noted above, PGPR is an emulsifier, which helps unlike ingredients mix. With chocolate, there are dry components such as sugar and cocoa solids and a fat component of cocoa butter. PGPR helps these items to mix and achieve the texture that we all like in chocolate. It also changes the viscosity/thickness of chocolate. This allows it to flow more easily through chocolate manufacturing machines.
It also allows for easier molding and coating of chocolate products by helping to reduce bubbles and empty holes in the chocolate product.
Prevents fat bloom
Fat bloom on chocolate results from the separation of the cocoa butter from the mixture and subsequent crystallization on the surface. PGPR helps to prevent this.
Extending shelf life in baked goods
Through its ability to stabilize emulsions and prevent oil separation, the shelf life of baked goods can be prolonged. It is also said to form a protective barrier between the water and the oil, thereby inhibiting microbial growth.
Improving spreadability
Fats that are spreadable at room temperature, such as margarine and peanut butter, often contain emulsifiers like PGPR to achieve the proper consistency and maintain the homogenous texture.
Enhancing ice cream texture
PGPR may be added to ice cream to improve the texture. Its emulsifying ability disperses the fat evenly throughout the mixture. It can also help to prevent ice crystals.
Reducing fat content
When food manufacturers reduce or eliminate fat in a product, it is typically replaced by something else. As an example, here is the ingredient list for a store-brand mayonnaise.
Soybean oil, eggs and egg yolks, water, distilled vinegar, sugar, salt, lemon juice concentrate, natural flavors, calcium disodium EDTA
Here is the list for a lower-fat version of the same brand.
Water, soybean oil, vinegar, corn starch-modified, egg yolks, sugar, salt, cultured nonfat milk, lactic acid, mustard flour, lemon juice concentrate, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate (preservative), natural flavors, beta-apo-8′-carotenal, calcium disodium EDTA
The introduction of PGPR gave food manufacturers a way to swap out some fats for reduced-fat ingredients without harming the sensory components they were trying to maintain.
Cost efficiency
Many of the ingredients that PGPR allowed to be swapped also came with a lower cost for food manufacturers.
Is PGPR safe?
The FDA considers it a safe food additive in certain amounts. There have been many studies on the safety of human consumption of PGPR, and none have found ill health effects. That does not mean, though, that certain individuals may not suffer an unwanted reaction from it.
One of the main criticisms is that it “cheapens” chocolate by allowing manufacturers to decrease the fat content. These companies can offer their products at a lower price than those companies that choose to rely on cocoa butter without this additive.
What products contain PGPR?
Chocolate is the main food product where you might run across PGPR. Other possible sources include the following list.
- Spreadable fats (margarine, peanut butter)
- Cocoa products
- Cocoa-based confectionery
- Emulsified sauces
- Low-fat dressings, mayonnaise
- Seafood colors
I have looked in my refrigerator and pantry, and nothing I have contains PGPR. I also searched various brands of the above products and found PGPR only in chocolate. What about you? Have you found it anywhere?
Which chocolate products contain PGPR?
Please note that I did not look at all products from any of these companies. Also, the information is correct as of the writing of this Tip. Since ingredient lists can change, it’s best to check the label before purchasing.
Hershey
This is one of the rare companies that mentions PGPR. Their website states,
The amount of PGPR used is quite small (as is the amount of soy lecithin). For example, in our milk chocolate, it is less than 1% of all ingredients.
A look at their website shows that most of their products contain PGPR.
Mars products
A quick look at their products (3 Musketeers, Twix, Milky Way, M&Ms) showed the absence of PGPR. However, their Dove product line can contain this additive. Their classic milk and dark chocolate do not show PGPR in their ingredient list, although you will find it in some of their flavored chocolates.
Higher-end chocolates
I failed to find PGPR in the ingredient list for Lindt, Ghirardelli, Godiva, or Sees. There are, of course, many other small producers from which you could source PGPR-free chocolates.
Have you ever noticed PGPR in the products you buy? Are you concerned about it? If so, you can certainly avoid it by reading labels, buying less processed foods and cooking more at home!
Culinary Journeys, LLC 