[Glycerin Procurement and Supply] Are food grade glycerin the same as industrial grade glycerin? What’s the difference?

Glycerin (also known as glycerol) is a colorless, odorless It is an organic matter with a sweet taste and a clear and viscous liquid appearance. Glycerin has a wide range of uses. Currently, it has about 1,700 uses. It is used in both food and industry. Is food-grade glycerin the same as industrial-grade glycerin? What’s the difference? The supplier of glycerol below will answer it for you.

The difference in purity between food-grade glycerin and industrial-grade glycerin:

After glycerol reaches 99.5, it can be called United States Pharmacopeia (USP grade) glycerol. If the content of heavy metals, some organic matter, and the number of microbial colonies are within the range specified by food-grade glycerin, then the next level will be food-grade glycerin. If the content is above 99.5 and meets the requirements of food grade, and there are more stringent indicators that meet the requirements of GMP certificate, then it is pharmaceutical grade glycerin. The concentration of glycerin is not the key, the key is the impurities contained in it. The grade of glycerin: industrial grade, cosmetic grade (USP grade), food grade, pharmaceutical grade (divided into pharmaceutical auxiliary and pharmaceutical main).

Food grade glycerin and industrial grade glycerol have different usage ranges and inspection standards:

Food grade glycerin It is a sweetener and humectant commonly used in the food processing industry, mostly found in sports foods and milk replacers. Food-grade glycerin can be used as food additives. It is qualified in terms of purity, color, and heavy metal content, and comes with an inspection and quarantine health certificate for the corresponding batch. Food-grade glycerol must be certified by the China Food Hygiene Inspection Bureau and be deemed to comply with the “Food Safety Standard Food Additive Consumption Standard” (GB2760 standard).

Industrial grade glycerin is prohibited from being added to food and feed because its heavy metals are not necessarily qualified. Industrial grade usually refers to the second-grade glycerol in GB 13206. 95% pharmaceutical grade glycerin has relatively high requirements on impurities in glycerin, and has limited requirements for diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol. The production of pharmaceutical grade glycerin requires a GMP certificate. Generally, glycerol with a concentration of 95% cannot be used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and food industries.