E-numbers / Other additives / E1517
also: Diacetin · Glycerol diacetate
A solvent made from glycerol and vinegar, used to carry flavourings and other additives in processed foods.
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Glyceryl diacetate (also called diacetin) is a diester of glycerol in which two of its three hydroxyl groups are esterified with acetic acid.
Glyceryl diacetate (also called diacetin) is a diester of glycerol in which two of its three hydroxyl groups are esterified with acetic acid. It is a colourless, oily liquid with a faint vinegary smell. Both glycerol and acetic acid are normal components of human metabolism.
It acts primarily as a carrier solvent, dissolving or dispersing flavourings, colours, and other additives so they can be incorporated evenly into a food product without changing their technological function. It can also act as a plasticiser in some food coatings.
Most commonly found in flavouring preparations and encapsulated additives used in baked goods, confectionery, and processed snacks. It rarely appears directly as an ingredient in finished retail foods; instead it arrives as part of a flavouring compound. On a label it may appear as 'glyceryl diacetate', 'diacetin', or E1517, or may be subsumed under 'flavouring'.
Once ingested, glyceryl diacetate is broken down by intestinal and liver esterases into glycerol and acetic acid. Glycerol is a normal energy substrate and acetic acid (vinegar's active component) is a routine product of carbohydrate fermentation in the gut. Neither breakdown product accumulates at the tiny quantities encountered from food additive use.
Glycerol esters of acetic acid are hydrolysed in the gut to glycerol and acetic acid, both of which are endogenous metabolites with well-characterised metabolic pathways.
EFSA has reviewed the acetin group (mono-, di- and triacetins) as food additives and as carriers. The panel concluded that these substances do not raise a toxicological concern at the levels used in food. No numerical Acceptable Daily Intake was considered necessary given the nature of the breakdown products.
EFSA concluded that glycerol esters of acetic acid, including diacetin, do not present a safety concern at their authorised uses in food, given their hydrolysis to glycerol and acetic acid.
No specific group needs to avoid this additive based on current evidence. Strict vegans should be aware that while the additive itself is plant-derived, flavouring compounds it carries may be of animal origin; check the flavouring declaration separately. Look for 'glyceryl diacetate', 'diacetin', or E1517 on the label.
Glyceryl diacetate is one of the most chemically straightforward food additives in use. It breaks down into glycerol and acetic acid, substances the body produces and uses routinely. It has been in commercial use for decades as a solvent for flavourings, and regulatory bodies on both sides of the Atlantic have reviewed it without finding a toxicological signal worth acting on. There are no published epidemiological studies raising concerns, no campaigning organisations targeting it, and no regulatory body has sought to restrict it. Its story in the science literature is genuinely quiet.
No. The UK FSA regulated products register lists E1517 as authorised in England, Scotland, and Wales. It remains permitted under assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008.
It is made by esterifying glycerol (a compound found naturally in fats and oils) with acetic acid (the acid in vinegar). The manufacturing process is entirely chemical; no animal products are required.
It is used mainly inside flavouring preparations rather than as a direct ingredient in retail food. You are most likely to encounter it in manufactured baked goods, confectionery, crisps, and sauces where a complex flavouring has been added. It is rarely listed by name on retail packaging because it arrives as part of a 'flavouring' blend.
The additive itself is derived from glycerol and acetic acid, with no animal ingredients required. However, it is used as a carrier for other substances, including flavourings, which may be of animal origin. The vegan status of any product depends on what the diacetin is carrying, not on the diacetin itself.
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