E-numbers / Thickeners & emulsifiers / E476
also: polyglycerol polyricinoleate
Made from castor oil, it lets chocolate makers use less cocoa butter. Regulators want the contaminants from making it capped.
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Sugar, cocoa mass, glucose syrup, humectant (glycerol), palm oil, cocoa butter, emulsifiers (SOYA lecithins, E476), flavourings, skimmed MILK powder
Commercial PGPR contains contaminants from processing: glycidyl esters, which turn into a compound that damages DNA and is classed as probably causing cancer, and 3-MCPD, linked to kidney damage in animal studies.
UK supermarket foods that declare E476: 481 of the 43,325 we checked (1.1%)
Counted by its code or its name in the ingredient list.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
Why it’s worth knowing. Commercial PGPR contains contaminants from processing: glycidyl esters, which turn into a compound that damages DNA and is classed as probably causing cancer, and 3-MCPD, linked to kidney damage in animal studies. European reviewers flagged both in 2022 and called for tighter limits.
Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) is made by joining polyglycerols to ricinoleic acid, a fatty acid from castor oil. It is a thick, yellowish liquid. Depending on the oils and fats used, making it can leave contaminants behind, including glycidyl esters and 3-MCPD.
It makes melted chocolate runnier by coating the cocoa and sugar particles so they slide past each other. That lets makers use less cocoa butter and still get a smooth chocolate that pours. It works differently from lecithin (E322), so the two are often used together.
Mostly milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate-flavoured coatings, chocolate sweets and chocolate spread. UK labels call it emulsifier (E476), emulsifier (PGPR) or polyglycerol polyricinoleate.
Glycidyl esters form when plant oils and fats are refined at high heat, and they can be in the fats used to make PGPR. In the body they turn into glycidol, which damages DNA and is classed by IARC as probably causing cancer. In 2022 European reviewers found glycidyl esters in commercial PGPR samples and called for a limit of 1mg per kg.
Commercial PGPR samples tested in 2022 contained glycidyl esters. Reviewers recommended a limit of 1mg per kg and said the current EU impurity limits were not enough.
Glycidol, which glycidyl esters turn into, damages DNA and is classed as probably causing cancer in humans (Group 2A).
3-MCPD is another contaminant from refining fats and oils. European reviewers found it in commercial PGPR samples in 2022. In animal studies it damages the kidneys, and IARC classes it as possibly causing cancer. Reviewers recommended a limit of 2.5mg per kg for 3-MCPD and related compounds in PGPR.
3-MCPD and related compounds were found in commercial PGPR samples. Reviewers recommended a limit of 2.5mg per kg.
3-MCPD is classed as possibly causing cancer in humans (Group 2B), with the main animal evidence being kidney damage.
The first daily limit, set in 1978, was 7.5mg per kg of body weight. In 2017 European reviewers raised it to 25mg per kg, based on more data including a two-year rat study.
Reviewers raised the daily limit from 7.5 to 25mg per kg of body weight in 2017.
The 2022 review also found that, at the arsenic limit then allowed in PGPR, the safety margin for arsenic was too small, especially if its use were extended to ice cream. Reviewers recommended bringing the legal arsenic limit down to match what was measured in commercial samples.
Reviewers found the safety margin for arsenic too small at the lower end if the existing EU limit were reached, and recommended lower maximum levels based on measured data.
Daily limit. 25mg per kg of body weight a day (European reviewers, 2017).
People with a castor oil allergy should know PGPR is made from castor oil. Look for emulsifier (E476) or polyglycerol polyricinoleate.
Making it can leave glycidyl esters and 3-MCPD in the finished additive. Glycidyl esters turn into glycidol, which IARC classes as probably causing cancer, and 3-MCPD is classed as possibly causing cancer and damages kidneys in animals. European reviewers found both in commercial PGPR in 2022 and called for tighter limits, a live recommendation rather than a settled one. For contaminants that damage DNA, regulators aim to keep exposure as low as they can rather than naming a threshold, and the 2022 limits may or may not be legally binding yet.
No. PGPR is approved in the UK in chocolate and cocoa products. The FSA completed a safety assessment of extending its use to ice cream and emulsified sauces in September 2023.
The 2022 follow-up looked at impurities found in commercial samples, glycidyl esters and 3-MCPD, which come from the fats used to make it. Reviewers recommended tighter limits because these substances may damage DNA or cause cancer.
Mainly milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate coatings and chocolate spreads. Look for emulsifier (E476) or polyglycerol polyricinoleate.
Usually. It is made from castor oil, a plant, and glycerol, which can come from plants or animals but is typically plant-sourced. The label will not say, so look for a vegan certification if it matters to you.
Last reviewed: 9 November 2026
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