Sugar Substitutes & Sweeteners - Glycerol

Glycerol, also well known as glycerin and glycerine, and less commonly as propane-1,2,3-triol, 1,2,3-propanetriol, 1,2,3-trihydroxypropane, glyceritol, and glycyl alcohol is a colorless, odorless, hygroscopic, and sweet-tasting viscous liquid. Glycerol is a sugar alcohol and has three hydrophilic alcoholic hydroxyl groups (-OH) that are responsible for its solubility in water. Glycerol is prochiral. Glycerol is used in glycerol soap, in cosmetics and creams, in foods, in chemistry, and in glycerol fog machine mist. Glycerol is produced from dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) by the enzyme glycerol three-phosphate dehydrogenase (Gpd p) in the mitochondrion of the eukaryotic cell during glycolysis.

Glycerol and triglycerides
When referring to its function in living organisms, the term glycerol is preferred. Glycerol is an important component of triglycerides (i.e. fats and oils) and of phospholipids. Glycerol is a three-carbon substance that forms the backbone of fatty acids in fats. When the body uses stored fat as a source of energy, glycerol and fatty acids are released into the bloodstream. The glycerol component can be converted to glucose by the liver and provides energy for cellular metabolism.

A byproduct of saponification and transesterification to obtain biodiesel, this is produced by hydrolysis of three ester linkages and loss of three equivalents of fatty acid from fat or biological oil.

Fats and oils are insoluble in water, because the OH groups of glycerol are replaced by ester groups. They are hydrophobic.

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