E476

PGPR (Polyglycerol Polyricinoleate)

Last reviewed: 11 May 2026

Castor-oil-derived emulsifier — used at very low levels in chocolate to reduce cocoa butter requirement.

What it is

PGPR is built in two stages. First, glycerol is polymerised (linked together) to form polyglycerol — a backbone of three to ten glycerol units joined by ether bonds. Separately, castor oil is hydrolysed to release ricinoleic acid, which is then polymerised on itself to form polyricinoleic acid — a chain of ricinoleic units joined by ester bonds. The polyglycerol backbone and the polyricinoleic acid chain are then reacted together, attaching multiple polyricinoleic chains to the polyglycerol like fronds on a branch. The result is a molecule with one hydrophilic centre (the polyglycerol) and several long hydrophobic tails (the polyricinoleic chains) — exactly the structure needed to position itself at fat-water interfaces inside a chocolate emulsion.

What this does in chocolate is technical and worth knowing: chocolate is a suspension of fine sugar particles in cocoa butter. The flow behaviour of liquid chocolate depends on how those sugar particles aggregate. PGPR adsorbs onto the sugar particle surfaces, reducing aggregation and dramatically lowering the yield value of the chocolate — the force required to start flow. That lets the chocolate run through enrobing machines and into moulds at a much lower cocoa butter content than the formulation would otherwise require. Cocoa butter is the most expensive ingredient in a chocolate bar, so the economic benefit is significant; the consumer-facing implication is a difference in mouthfeel — chocolate that relies on PGPR rather than additional cocoa butter has a slightly different melt and texture from a pure cocoa-butter formulation.

Where you'll see it on a UK label

PGPR appears wherever chocolate is moulded, enrobed or used as a coating, particularly in lines where cocoa butter cost is a concern:

• Mainstream and budget chocolate bars — many supermarket own-brand and confectionery-grade brands
• Chocolate-coated biscuits and wafers — for thin, even coating
• Chocolate ice cream coatings and shells
• Easter eggs, hollow figures and novelty moulded chocolate
• Chocolate spreads and dessert toppings
• Some compound chocolate (made with vegetable fats in place of cocoa butter)
• Occasionally in salad dressings and some baked goods (much less commonly than its chocolate uses)

It is listed on the label as E476, PGPR or polyglycerol polyricinoleate. Premium chocolate brands — particularly the higher cocoa-content single-origin and craft bar lines — typically don't use PGPR, relying instead on a higher cocoa butter percentage and lecithin (E322).

What the science shows

EFSA re-evaluation

EFSA re-evaluated PGPR in 2017 (EFSA Journal 2017;15(3):4743) and set an acceptable daily intake of 25mg/kg body weight per day, the same numerical figure as the earlier JECFA evaluation. The opinion concluded that PGPR is hydrolysed in the digestive tract to its components — glycerol, polyglycerols and ricinoleic acid — which are then metabolised in normal pathways. Genotoxicity testing was negative. Long-term feeding studies in rats at high doses showed liver and kidney weight changes at intakes far above human dietary exposure, with no equivalent signal at relevant intakes.

Dietary exposure

Because PGPR is used at very low percentages (≤0.5% of finished chocolate) and the maximum chocolate consumption in habitual UK diets is modest in additive-exposure terms, EFSA's exposure assessment found that even high consumers of chocolate sit well below the ADI. The dietary intake from a typical chocolate bar contributes a small fraction of the daily allowance.

Castor allergy

The starting material is castor oil. People with confirmed allergy to castor seed or castor oil are a small group, but where the allergy is documented, PGPR-containing products are worth treating as a potential source — the castor protein is largely removed during processing but residual antigenicity has been reported in some sensitised case studies. UK allergen labelling does not require this to be flagged.

Reading a UK label

If you want a chocolate where the texture is delivered by cocoa butter rather than by an emulsifier reducing the cocoa butter requirement, scan the ingredients list for PGPR or E476. Their absence — particularly on bars listing cocoa butter prominently and only lecithin (E322) as an emulsifier — is the practical signal. Cocoa solids percentage on the front of the pack is the other useful indicator: 70%-and-above dark bars typically use only lecithin; mainstream milk and confectionery chocolate (around 25–35% cocoa solids) is where PGPR most commonly appears.

Regulatory status

UK and EU: authorised as E476 with an ADI of 25mg/kg body weight per day. Maximum permitted level in chocolate: 0.5% (5 grams per kilogram of finished product). Listed in Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008.

United States: FDA approved for use in chocolate at levels consistent with good manufacturing practice; GRAS status.

Last updated: 11 May 2026