E312 - Dodecyl gallate
What it is and how it is used
Dodecyl gallate — also called lauryl gallate — is the longest-chain member of the alkyl gallate antioxidants, above propyl gallate (E 310) and octyl gallate (E 311). The longer the alcohol chain, the more fat-soluble the ester, and dodecyl gallate was the most oil-loving of the three.
That made it useful in high-fat products where an antioxidant needs to stay in the oil phase rather than partitioning into water. It is no longer permitted.
Foods commonly containing it
None in Great Britain. It was used in edible fats and oils and in some dehydrated and fried products before its removal.
Safety summary
Dodecyl gallate is no longer an authorised food additive. Commission Regulation (EU) 2018/1481 of 4 October 2018 removed both E 311 and E 312 from the Union list, with effect from 25 October 2018 and a sell-through period ending 25 April 2019. It does not appear in the FSA Register of Food Additive Authorisations.
In this case the stated ground was that EFSA was not able to confirm the safety of dodecyl gallate as a food additive. That is a stronger statement than the one made about octyl gallate, where the issue was framed as inadequate toxicological data — but neither amounts to a positive finding of harm at the levels formerly used.
Propyl gallate (E 310) remains authorised in Great Britain and is the only alkyl gallate still permitted.
Known concerns
EFSA was unable to confirm safety as a food additive, and the Commission withdrew the authorisation on that basis in 2018.