Sodium and calcium stearoyl lactylate are bread and cake softeners with two reassuring plant-sounding parts and one that is not guaranteed. The stearic acid is the question mark.
Made fromLactic acid + stearic acid
The variableStearic acid (animal or plant)
VerdictIt depends
Where it hides
Bread, buns and dough
Cakes and cake mixes
Coffee whiteners
Some processed foods
What it is
Stearoyl lactylates are emulsifiers and dough conditioners that keep bread soft and cakes fluffy. Despite the lactyl in the name, the lactic acid part is not dairy. The question is the fat:
Primary source 01 / 01
SSL is currently manufactured by the esterification of stearic acid with lactic acid and partially neutralized with either food-grade soda ash (sodium carbonate) or caustic soda (concentrated sodium hydroxide).
Stearic acid can be rendered from animal fat or pressed from vegetable oils, and E481 or E482 is vegan only when the stearic acid is plant-derived. Most large manufacturers now use vegetable stearic acid, but the label does not say, so a certified-vegan mark or a note from the maker is the only way to be sure. See our page on stearic acid for the same fork in the road.
Stearic acid and magnesium stearate (E570)This is the quiet powder that stops tablets and sweets from sticking. The fatty acid behind it can come from vegetable oil or from beef tallow, and 'magnesium stearate' will not say.
Lactic acid (E270)Lactic acid sounds like it should be dairy. In a factory it is made by fermenting plant sugars, and the milk connection is mostly in the name.
Mono- and diglycerides (E471)This emulsifier is in half the bread aisle, and it starts life as fat. That fat can be soya oil or beef tallow, and E471 on the packet will not say which.
Frequently asked
Is the lactic acid in E481 from milk?
Almost never. The lactic acid used industrially is made by fermenting plant sugars, so the lactyl name is misleading. The uncertain part is the stearic acid, which can be animal or plant.
How do I know if E481 is vegan?
You usually cannot tell from the ingredient list alone. Look for a vegan certification, or contact the manufacturer to confirm the stearic acid is vegetable-derived.
The same clear-eyed sourcing behind these verdicts, applied to each day’s news: what actually moved veganism forward, quoted and checked before you read it. One short brief, free.
