Monoglycerides

Emulsifiers like monoglycerides help fat and water stay mixed together and keep the texture of the food smooth.

Monoglycerides are fat molecules with one fatty acid attached to glycerol, used as emulsifiers. FDA lists mono- and diglycerides of edible fats or oils among GRAS substances for animal feed. They add no meaningful nutrition at the small amounts used, and no authority we found flags them for cats. If your cat has a medical condition, ask your veterinarian about its food.

Source: ecfr.gov

Monoglycerides are emulsifiers made from fats or oils. Each molecule has one end that mixes with water and one that mixes with fat, so they help keep the two blended. In cat food they keep texture smooth and stop fat from separating. They usually appear near the end of the ingredient list.

They can come from either. Monoglycerides are made by processing fats or oils, such as vegetable oils or animal fats, and the label rarely says which. For most cats this makes little difference at the tiny amounts used. Owners who avoid a particular source would need to ask the manufacturer.

The difference is how many fatty acids are attached to the glycerol backbone. A monoglyceride has one, a diglyceride has two, and a normal dietary fat, a triglyceride, has three. Mono- and diglycerides are often made together and listed as one ingredient. FDA's GRAS list for animal feed covers them as a pair.

Source: ecfr.gov

Pettings gives monoglycerides 2 out of 5 and lists it as an emulsifier. It appears on 1 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. It scores in the middle because it is a technical ingredient for processed food that adds no nutrition, with no known risk at the amounts used. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.