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Animal Ingredients, derivatives and additives

This is a list of the animal ingredients, derivatives and additives that are not suitable for vegans.  They should be looked at and be taken notice of.  It's important to know what isn't vegan when you read ingredient lists.

Animal Ingredients and derivatives:-

The following are the ingredients commonly listed on products that are not suitable for vegans.

Albumen/ Albumin - egg white

Anchovy - small fish of the herring family

Bristle - stiff animal hair, usually from pigs

Casein* - main protein of milk

Cholecalciferol (D3) - vitamin derived from lanolin or fish oil

Cochineal (E120) - dye consisting of dried bodies of scale insects

Gelatin(e) - jelly obtained by boiling animal skin, tendons, ligaments, bones

Glycerin(e)/ glycerol (E422)* - clear colourless liquid which may be derived from animal fat

Isinglass - very pure form of gelatin obtained form the air bladders of freshwater fish

Lactic acid (E270)* - acid produced by the fermentation of milk sugar

Lactose  - milk sugar

Lanolin(e) - fat extracted from sheep's wool

Lecithin (E322)* - fatty substance found in nerve tissures, egg yolk, blood and other tissues

Rennet - extract of calf stomach

Shellac (E904) - insect secretion

Tallow - hard animal fat

Whey - residue from milk after the removal of the casein and most of the fat


Additives:-

There are some additives that are animal derived and there are many additives which are possibly animal derived.  Here is a list of some of them:-

Animal derived:-

E120 - cochineal,
E542 - edible bone phosphate
E631 - sodium 5' - insoinate
E901 - beeswax
E904 - shellac
calcium mesoinositol hexaphosphate
lactose
sperm oil
spermaceti

Possibly animal derived:-

E101 - riboflavin, lactoflavin, vitamin B12
E101a - riboflavin 5'-phosphate
E153 - carbon black, vegetable carbon ( believed animal-free version must be used in food)
E270 - lactic acid
E322 - lecithin
E325 - sodium lactate
E326 -  potassium lactate
E327 - calcium lactate
E422 - glycerol ( glycerine )
E430 - polyoxyethylene (8) sterate, polyoxyl (8) sterate ( believed to be no longer permitted in food)
E431 - polyoxyethylene (40) sterate, polyoxyl (40) sterate
E432 - polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate, polysorbate 20, tween 20
E433 - polyoxyethylene sorbitan mono-oleate, polysorbate 80, tween 80
E434 - polyoxyethylene sorbitan monopalmitate, polysorbate 40, tween 40
E435 - polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate, polysorbate 60, tween 60
E436 - polyoxyethylene sorbitan tristearate, polysorbate 65, tween 65
E470(a) - sodium, potassium and calcium slats of fatty acids
E470(b) - magnesium slats of fatty acids
E471 - glycerides of fatty acids, glyceryl monosterate, glyceryl distearate
E472(a) - acetuc acid esters of glycerides of fatty acids, acetoglycerides, glycerol esters
E472(b) - lactic acid esters of  glycerides of fatty acids, lactylated glycerides, lactoglycerides
E472(c) - citric acid esters of glycerides of fatty acids
E472(d) - tartaric acid esters of glycerides of fatty acids
E472(e) - mono and diacetyltartaric acid esters of glycerides of fatty acids
E472(f) - mixed aceitic and tartaric acid esters of mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids
E473 - sucrose esters of fatty acids
E474 - sucroglycerides
E475 - polyglycerol esters of fatty acids
E476 - polyglycerol esters of polycondensed fatty acids of casor oil, polyglycerol polyricinoleate; - polyglycerol esters of dimerized fatty acids of soya bean oil
E477 - propylene glycol esters of fatty acids; propane - 1,2 - diol esters of fatty acids
478 - lactylated fatty acid esters of gylcerol and propane - 1, 2 - diol
E479(b) - thermally oxidized soya bean oil interacted with mono- and di- glycerides of fatty acids
E481 - sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate
E482 - calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate
E483 - stearyl tartrate
E491 - sorbitan monostearate
E492 - sorbitan tristearate, span 65
E493 - sorbitan monolaurate, span 20
E494 - sorbitan mono-oleate, span 80
E495 - sorbitan monopalmitate, span 40
E570 - fatty acids (including myristic, stearic, palmitic and oleic), butyl stearate
E572 - magnesium salts of fatty acids (including magnesium stearate); - calcium stearate
E585 - ferrous lactate
E627 - guanosine 5'-disodium phosphate, sodium guanylate, disodium guanylate
E635 - sodium 5'-ribonucleotide
E640 - glycine and its sodium salt
E920 - L-cysteine hydrocholride
E1518 - glyceryl mono-, di- and tri-acetate (triacetin)
calcium hepatonate
calcium phytate
diacetin, glyceryl
leucine
monoacetin
oxystearin
polygycerol esters of dimerized fatty acids of soya bean oil
any unspecified flavourings

The easiest thing to do is if you are at all unsure of whether a product is vegan or not, is to write to the manufacturer and ask them.  They will inform you whether the product is vegan or not.  Another even easier way is to look and see if the Vegan Society of the United Kingdom has approved it or not.  There are some products around that they have approved.

© VeganIreland 2000