Propylene Glycol flavoring: does it work?

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Bikeking8

Assistant Cook
Joined
Oct 14, 2017
Messages
4
Location
Schenectady
Hello, everyone, I was excited when I found out about PG flavorings and the sheer variety i found. However, I've been nothing but disappointed. I've tried two companies' products touted as being super concentrated so far and have used the entire 10-13 oz. in white and milk chocolate as well as homemade buttercream filling. My wife used a whole thing for a batch of frosting with the same results - no detectable flavor. My coworkers have told me the same thing about the test batches I've brought in. The most recent recipe I've tried is here: https://www.landolakes.com/recipe/16811/buttercreams/. I use only 2 cups of sugar though.

Are there just lousy brands of PG flavorings? Am I just not using them right? Has anyone had success with them? Thanks in advance, I just joined this site and will have a lot to talk about I'm sure haha
 
Wow, antifreeze has made its way into the food world. BTW, don't let any dogs near it. :(
 
Antifreeze toxicity
Ethylene glycol poisoning is caused by the ingestion of ethylene glycol, the primary ingredient in automotive antifreeze. Ethylene glycol is a toxic, colorless, odorless, almost nonvolatile liquid with a sweet taste that is sometimes accidentally consumed by children and animals due to its sweetness.

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Propylene glycol, also called propane-1,2-diol, is a synthetic compound with the chemical formula C3H8O2. It is a viscous colorless liquid which is nearly odorless but possesses a faintly sweet taste. Chemically it is classed as a diol and is miscible with a broad range of solvents, including water, acetone, and chloroform.

It is produced on a large scale and is primarily used in the production of polymers, but also sees use in food processing, and as a process fluid in low temperature heat exchange applications. In the European Union, it has the E-number E1520 for food applications.
 
Antifreeze toxicity
Ethylene glycol poisoning is caused by the ingestion of ethylene glycol, the primary ingredient in automotive antifreeze. Ethylene glycol is a toxic, colorless, odorless, almost nonvolatile liquid with a sweet taste that is sometimes accidentally consumed by children and animals due to its sweetness.

====================

Propylene glycol, also called propane-1,2-diol, is a synthetic compound with the chemical formula C3H8O2. It is a viscous colorless liquid which is nearly odorless but possesses a faintly sweet taste. Chemically it is classed as a diol and is miscible with a broad range of solvents, including water, acetone, and chloroform.

It is produced on a large scale and is primarily used in the production of polymers, but also sees use in food processing, and as a process fluid in low temperature heat exchange applications. In the European Union, it has the E-number E1520 for food applications.

Propylene Glycol is also used in antifreeze and coolant. Use the google!;)
 
While I'm enjoying the chemistry discussion, I must respectfully ask again for any insight or experience regarding the use of PG flavorings in candies or baking. If they were unfit for human consumption I am fairly sure they would not be marketed as such, nor would the FDA allow it. Thank you for your time.
 
Ethylene glycol is used in antifreeze, not propylene glycol.

Propylene glycol is what I used to use to winterize my boat. It is non-toxic, so it won't hurt the lake in the spring. So, it is an anti-freeze, but apparently used for food, too. I never knew that before now.

CD
 
While I'm enjoying the chemistry discussion, I must respectfully ask again for any insight or experience regarding the use of PG flavorings in candies or baking. If they were unfit for human consumption I am fairly sure they would not be marketed as such, nor would the FDA allow it. Thank you for your time.

Well, as I mentioned, I had never heard of using it in food, and I imagine a lot of other people haven't, either. So, it may take a while for someone who has experience with it to reply to your query.

Meanwhile, any replies you get (even science discussions) will bump your thread to the "New Posts, which will increase your chances of being seen.

CD
 
Polypropylene is used in making clothes, namely warm undergarments. But I would assume that would be an entirely different chemical composition.

I wish I could help you, Bikeking, but I've never hear of propylene used as a flavoring for food before. Do you have any links for it in recipes? I'd be interested in reading about it.
 
Polypropylene is used in making clothes, namely warm undergarments. But I would assume that would be an entirely different chemical composition.

I wish I could help you, Bikeking, but I've never hear of propylene used as a flavoring for food before. Do you have any links for it in recipes? I'd be interested in reading about it.

Propylene glycol is a solvent used to carry color and possibly flavor.
 
I apologize, and thank everyone for the bumps. Since this is apparently a rather new thing, I'll explain a bit more.

I started with white and milk chocolate, looked into how I could flavor it. Extracts "seize" chocolate as they're water or alcohol based. It was suggested to try PG flavorings. So I ordered a bunch from LorAnn oils and GetSuckered, who claim to have super concentrated flavors good for baking and candy making. They definitely smell right but don't taste like much of anything.

Adding them to the melted chocolate, I didn't taste anything, same with the buttercream frosting I made. I'm still hoping to incorporate flavors such as Bordeaux, Apple Pie and so on into my candies and if i find something that works I'll definitely share.
 
Sorry can't help. Tend to use things like sugar, fruits and berries for flavoring. PG is good to moisturise the walls of my humidor.
 
Why not try oil-based flavoring?

+1

There's a big selection of candy flavoring (oil based) available and I've used them often. That said, I've found that as with extracts most are somewhat disappointing. The exceptions are citrus flavors and mints.

I've found that aside from the few above sometimes flavors seem to morph when combined with other ingredients and you don't always get what you expect in the finished product.

PG based flavors have been used for a number of years in sodas and other products and there a bunch of them around. If you've ever had flavored syrup in coffee you've surely had some PG flavoring.

Food - Propylene Glycol Sector Group

Food and Flavorings | Dow Propylene Glycols

PG Propylene Glycol Flavors

The big question I have is that PG is water soluble... would it not seize chocolate?
 
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