Question:
There are many food products that contain glycerine/glycerol; some people say that we cannot eat such items. Is that true?
(Published as received)
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Glycerine[1] and food products containing it are ḥalāl if derived from:
– Synthetic sources
– Vegetarian/plant-based sources
– Ḥalāl animals slaughtered according to Islamic law (dhabīḥah)
Glycerine is ḥarām if sourced from ḥarām animals or ḥalāl animals not slaughtered according to Islamic rites.
And Allah knows best
(Mufti) Bilal al-Mahmudi
Concurred by:
Mufti Faisal al-Mahmudi
[1] Glycerol (/ˈɡlɪsərɒl/) is a sugar alcohol with chemical formula C3H5(OH)3. It has three carbon atoms with one hydroxyl group on each. Glycerol is a colourless, odourless, sweet tasting, viscous liquid at Standard Ambient Temperature and Pressure (SATP). Because of its three hydroxyl groups, glycerol is miscible with water and is hygroscopicin nature.
The glycerol backbone is found in lipids known as glycerides, where one or more of the hydroxyl groups are esterified with fatty acids. The most abundant of glycerides are triglycerides (found in animal fats and vegetable oils), the form in which glycerol is most commonly found in nature. It is also widely used as a sweetener in the food industry and as a humectant in pharmaceutical formulations.
Modern use of the word glycerine (alternatively spelled glycerin) refers to commercial preparations of glycerol that are less than 100% pure, typically 95%. (Wikipedia)
