In the past several months, a recurring question from manufacturers of treats and semi-moist petfoods has come up: “Can we use ‘natural’ glycerin in our foods?” The quick answer is yes, but why are they asking this? There seems to be confusion creeping into the market; maybe some sort of controversy is brewing about glycerin. But first, some background is in order.
We have known about glycerin for centuries. It was first identified in 1770 by Sheele and got its name from Chevreul in 1811 after glyceros, the Greek phrase for sweet. Other common names for glycerin include glycerol, 1,2,3 - propanetriol or glycyl alcohol.
