mono and diglycerides 

                                                                                                                                  

   Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (monoglycerides, in short) are typically based on fats and oils found in nature such as sunflower, palm or soybean oils. They occur naturally in some oils and are produced in the gastro intestinal tract as a product of the hydrolytic lipase activity in the upper part of the gastro intestinal tract, and are transported directly through the intestine wall
For use in food applications monoglycerides are produced in a chemical process where glycerol of natural origin is interesterified with the triglyceride oils using an inorganic catalyst and high temperature. The reaction distributes the fatty acid moieties on the different glycerol molecules to form a reaction mixture consisting of glycerol, monoglyceride, diglyceride and triglyceride. The concentration of monoglyceride in the reaction mixture depends on the ratio between glycerol and triglyceride in the raw materials and is typically between 40 and 60 wt%. The reaction mixture is typically purified by removal of the excess glycerol and the catalyst. It is possible to concentrate the monoglyceride by distillation to obtain products with a monoglyceride concentration typically between 90 and 95 wt% or even higher.
Mono- and diglycerides (of fatty acids) are the most common emulsifiers used in food manufacturing. Mono- and diglycerides can attach to both oil and water and are used to combine them in products, such as margarine, ice cream, mayonnaise, salad dressings, and low-cost cooking spray.

Many other products that use both oil and water, that would separate without the addition of an emulsifier, can use mono- and diglycerides. A classic example is peanut butter. Natural peanut butter does not contain an emulsifier, so the peanut oil naturally rises to the top. By adding an emulsifier, as is done with most peanut butter, the oil remains fully incorporated in the peanut butter.

Another popular use is in baked goods; the mono- and diglycerides improve the gluten bond in the dough so it can rise higher and increase the volume and softness. Another advantage is that the combinations of mono- and diglycerides with the starch in the food slows the natural hardening of the starch, extending the freshness and the softness of
the product.
                                                                                        

Vegetable oils and animal fats both have the same chemical makeup, with triglycerides as the main component. The name itself describes the makeup. The backbone is glycerin and there are three chains of fatty acids attached to the glycerin. As the name suggests, monoglycerides have one fatty chain and diglycerides have two. The mono- and diglycerides are both naturally present in different oils, but in low levels that are not sufficient for industrial production.

The triglycerides are reacted with glycerin and a catalyst in a reactor at high temperature (over 200℃/392℉) to break and reform the fatty acid chain from triglycerides into mono and diglycerides with the desired characteristics. The outcome of this process is a mixture of mono-, di- and triglycerides.