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Make Preservatives with Glycerin
Glycerin is a ubiquitous compound, not only on food and cosmetic labels, but throughout nature. Learn about the multi-faceted nature of this compound, and how its famous humectant properties contribute to a natural preservative effect. Across industries, a valuable tactic is learning how to make preservatives with glycerin.
In this article, we’ll explain:
1. What is glycerin?
2. What’s the difference between glycerin and glycerol?
3. How does glycerin work as a preservative?
4. Glycerin in the skin and skincare
5. Glycerin in food
6. Where to buy glycerin
What is glycerin?
Glycerin or glycerol (IUPAC name propane-1,2,3-triol) is a chemical compound found naturally in the skin and in many foods. It consists of a 3-carbon chain with a hydroxyl (-OH) group on each carbon. It has the chemical formula C3H5(OH)3.
This is the same “glycerol-backbone” found on triglyceride molecules in fats and lipids. In fact, it was first discovered accidentally by the scientist K.W. Schelle in 1779 when he heated olive oil in the presence of lead monoxide. He noticed that the resulting substance had a sweet flavor and viscous consistency. In fact, the name glycerol comes from the Greek word for sweet.
Glycerol’s most famous property is perhaps its high hygroscopicity. That means that it readily absorbs water from the environment. This makes glycerol an excellent humectant. As we’ll see later on, this actually contributes in part to its valuable preservative properties.
What’s the difference between glycerin and glycerol?
Glycerin is often used interchangeably with glycerol. Technically, glycerol refers to the pure compound, or the 3-carbon backbone with 3 hydroxyl groups. Glycerin is a broader term, encompassing impure chemical products containing at least 95% glycerol.
How does glycerin work as a preservative?
As we mentioned above, glycerin is an excellent humectant. This means that it has a large water-holding capacity, which actually helps manage water-activity. Water-activity is an important variable in microbial activity and shelf life for food products and skincare formulations. You can think of the function of glycerin as a bit like table salt, NaCl, one of the oldest known food preservatives. For instance, studies have demonstrated that incorporating glycerol into jerky results in a product with lower water activity.
The humectant properties of glycerin contribute to an overall antimicrobial effect. In research studies, glycerol appears to induce morphological (shape) changes on the harmful bacteria, indicating multiple cell-damaging methods that ultimately inhibit microbial growth. Gram-negative bacteria are thought to be more susceptible compared to gram-positive bacteria.
In addition to the use of glycerol itself, glycerol can also be derivatized to create other related preservatives for food and cosmetics. Some examples of glycerol derivatives used as food additives include glycerol monolaurate, polyglycerol, and polyglycerol esters. These molecules are still recognized and easily metabolized by the body, while contributing their own unique preservative and humectant properties to food and cosmetic formulations.
Glycerin in the skin and skincare
One of the appealing things about glycerin as a skincare ingredient is that it is already a natural and essential component of skin. This bodes well for not only its biochemical function in skincare formulations, but also for its favorable toxicity profile. In fact, it is the third most common ingredient in skin care products, following only water and fragrance.
Endogenous (naturally-occurring) glycerin in the skin has the following biological contributions:
• Improves skin smoothness by plasticizing the stratum corneum (aka the outermost skin layer)
• Maintains moisture in via humectant properties
• Maintains the skin barrier so that natural enzymes can function properly
• Contributes to wound-healing
• May have a protective effect against UV radiation
Keeping the skin moisturized allows the skin barrier to function properly, restoring skin to its natural health. Sometimes the skin is unable to maintain adequate moisture, in which case it is helpful to include skincare formulations containing glycerin and other moisturizing ingredients.
Glycerin in food
Glycerol is found naturally in fats and oils, because it is the backbone of triglycerides. This means that the body is used to encountering and metabolizing ingested glycerol. In addition to the antimicrobial properties discussed above, glycerol has multiple other functions in food. As a sweet and viscous substance, glycerol is a useful food additive for improving mouthfeel and flavor. It is also a non-toxic carrier vehicle for flavor additives. Glycerol has GRAS status (Generally Recognized as Safe) according to the FDA, meaning it is considered safe for use in products meant for ingestion.
Where to buy glycerin
This handy compound can fulfill multiple functions in the same product, including preservative/antimicrobial properties, humectant properties, and texture/flavor enhancement.
Lab Alley is proud to be the leader in chemical supply, serving both the food industry and the personal care/ cosmetics industry. We have glycerin in stock and ready to ship, including multiple sizes, from small to bulk options. Shop now on our easy-to-navigate website, with transparent pricing, no-hassle ordering, and speedy delivery.
Where to Buy Fireplace Bioethanol
As your trusted partner in chemical supply, Lab Alley is always striving to meet the growing demands of our customers. We want you to be able to access all of your chemical needs in one place, along with streamlined online ordering and fast shipping.
Due to popular demand from our valued clientele, Lab Alley has just added a new bioethanol product to our offerings. Our new bioethanol fuel is perfect for use in indoor and outdoor fireplaces.
Conclusion
Chemical waste disposal can be expensive for labs and businesses. Businesses must schedule waste pick-up from a hazardous waste disposal company. Minimizing your hazardous waste is one way to cut business costs. It will also reduce costs from replacing expired or spilled reagents.