E470B - Magnesium salts of fatty acids

At a glance

• Names you might see: E470B, magnesium salts of fatty acids, magnesium stearate
• What it does: anti-caking agent, emulsifier, stabiliser, release agent
• Where it’s used: powdered drink mixes, spice blends, baking mixes, confectionery coatings, chewing gum, and some tableted foods or supplements
• How it’s made: reacting edible fatty acids (often stearic or palmitic) with a magnesium source
• Diet notes: can be from vegetable or animal fats; source is not always stated on labels
• Heat and storage: stable under normal food processing; used at very low levels
• Regulation: permitted for specific uses in the U.S.; the EU sets purity specifications

Why is Magnesium salts of fatty acids added to food?

Food makers use E470B to improve how ingredients behave during mixing, forming, and storage. It reduces sticking and clumping, helps powders flow, and can stabilise mixtures of oil and water in certain recipes.¹ These salts include familiar forms such as magnesium stearate and magnesium palmitate.²

What foods contain Magnesium salts of fatty acids?

E470B shows up in places where flow, release, or mild emulsifying help is useful. Examples include:

• Dry blends like instant beverages, cocoa mixes, and protein powders
• Seasoning and spice blends that need to stay free-flowing
• Baking mixes, dough improvers, and pan-release systems
• Confectionery coatings and chewing gum
• Compressed foods and some dietary supplements (as a lubricant or flow aid)

Labels may list it as “magnesium stearate,” “magnesium salts of fatty acids,” or “E470b.”

What can replace Magnesium salts of fatty acids?

Alternatives depend on the job you want done:

• Anti-caking and flow: silicon dioxide, calcium silicate, tricalcium phosphate, cellulose
• Emulsifying and stabilising: lecithins, mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, xanthan gum
• Release/lubrication: carnauba wax in certain coatings; related stearates such as sodium, potassium and calcium salts of fatty acids

How is Magnesium salts of fatty acids made?

Producers start with edible fatty acids—most often long-chain types like stearic or palmitic acid—derived from food-grade fats and oils. They react these acids with a magnesium source (for example, magnesium oxide or magnesium hydroxide) to form the corresponding magnesium salts. Finished additives must meet established purity criteria to be sold for use in food.³

Is Magnesium salts of fatty acids safe to eat?

In the United States, salts of fatty acids—including the magnesium salts—are permitted for direct addition to food for specific functions such as emulsifying, stabilising, anticaking, and as release agents, when used in line with the regulation.¹ These additives are used at low levels and have long histories of use in foods.

Does Magnesium salts of fatty acids have any benefits?

E470B does not add taste or nutrition at typical use levels. Its benefits are technological:

• Smoother manufacturing by reducing sticking and friction
• Better powder flow and less clumping in dry mixes
• More consistent texture and appearance in finished products

Who should avoid Magnesium salts of fatty acids?

• Vegans, vegetarians, or people following certain religious diets may wish to confirm the fat source (vegetable vs animal), since labels do not always specify it. Check with the manufacturer if this matters to you.³
• People advised to avoid specific additives by a healthcare professional should follow that guidance.

Myths & facts

• Myth: “Magnesium stearate is only a pill lubricant, not a food ingredient.”
  Fact: In food, magnesium salts of fatty acids are permitted for roles such as emulsifiers, stabilisers, anti-caking agents, and release agents.¹
• Myth: “It’s always animal-derived.”
  Fact: The fatty acids can come from vegetable or animal fats; regulations set purity criteria but do not require a specific source.³

Magnesium salts of fatty acids in branded foods

On ingredient lists, you might see “magnesium stearate,” “magnesium salts of fatty acids,” or “E470b” on dry drink mixes, spice blends, baking mixes, confectionery coatings, and chewing gum. Many mainstream brands use it in tiny amounts to help powders flow and to keep products from sticking to processing equipment.

References

Footnotes

1. 21 CFR §172.863 — Salts of fatty acids. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (eCFR). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-172/subpart-I/section-172.863 ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. Magnesium stearate — PubChem, National Institutes of Health. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Magnesium-stearate ↩

3. Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 — Specifications for food additives listed in Annexes II and III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008. EUR-Lex. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2012/231/oj ↩ ↩² ↩³