Talk:Polyglycerol Polyricinoleate

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"Polyglycerol Polyricinoleate (PGPR), E476, is an artificially derived emulsifier that is mainly used to replace some of the cocoa butter in chocolate used in lower grade candy bars."

This is sort of an internet urban legend. An authoritative source should be provided for the claim that PGPR is used to "replace" cocoa butter in "lower grade" candy bars.

PGPR is, as is stated in the article, an emulsifier. It's used in chocolate to keep the ingredients mixed together during industrial-level production processes, and to keep the product from sticking to automated machinery.

Cocoa butter is not "removed" to make way for PGPR. Chocolate candy can have all levels of cocoa butter, depending on the type of chocolate, whether it be low-cocoa milk chocolate, 99% baking chocolate, or whatever. The only association between PGPR and "lower grade" chocolate is that less inexpensive chocolates tend to be made in more industrial-level high output machinery where the greater predicability of emulsified ingredients helps keep production up. More limited production candy is made more slowly, with more hand production and more rejected or inconsistent production.

I am the original author of this entry and the use of PGPR to cut down on the amount of cocoa butter needed in chocolate is true. Here is one link that supports this (http://www.danisco.com/cms/connect/corporate/products%20and%20services/product%20range/emulsifiers/pgpr/pgpr_en.htm) and there are many others that you can find easily on Google.

Yes, it is also used as an emulsifier and while it is more expensive per ounce than soy lecithin, far less of it is needed in products; hence it is way cheaper. --Aaron Proot--

I would consider removing the term "lower-grade". I first found the ingredient in the label for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and while it's not high-end chocolate by any means, it's not the waxy stuff you find in chocolate bunnies in the US around Easter time. Yarnover 00:27, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

This obviously has been altered by a flack for the people who make PGPR. There are numerous articles about how PGPR is used to cut down on the amount of cocoa butter needed to make chocolate bars. The low grade chocolate bar reference refers to the fact that it's only used in cheap candy bars like those made by Hersheys and Nestle. You don't see it in higher ned bars. --Aaron Proot--