Palmitic acid World War II to produce napalm. The word "napalm" is derived from the words naphthenic acid and palmitic acid. Palmitic acid was discovered by Edmond Frémy in 1840, in saponified palm oil. This remains the primary industrial route for its production, with the triglycerides (fats) in palm oil being hydrolysed by high temperature water (above ), and the resulting mixture fractionally distilled to give the pure product. Palmitic acid is naturally produced by a wide range of other plants and organisms, typically at low levels. It is naturally present in butter, cheese, milk, and meat, as well as cocoa butter,
Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids be completely excluded as being present in the product. The fatty acids from each source are chemically identical. The Vegan Society, which discourages eating animal-based foods, flags E471 as a "thing to look out for" that "can be animal OR non-animal based". Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471) refers to a food additive composed of diglycerides and monoglycerides which is used as an emulsifier. This mixture is also sometimes referred to as partial glycerides. Monoglycerides and diglycerides are both naturally present in various seed oils, however their concentration is usually low and industrial