Many members of our Facebook group have raised questions surrounding a common ingredient found in sweets, drinks and other products: 乳化剤 (nyuu-ka-zai). Dictionaries tend to provide the English translation emulsifier, but concern often arises from the presence of the character 乳, which represents milk. Hence the question: Is 乳化剤 vegan?
The truth is, 乳 does not imply dairy. For example, the Japanese word for soy milk is 豆乳 (tou-nyuu). Thus, the presence of 乳 is not itself an indication of whether a product is vegan or otherwise, as is the case in 乳化剤.
This leaves us with the unsatisfying conclusion that it is impossible to tell whether an ingredient listed as 乳化剤 is safe for vegans without further information. Emulsifiers can be both plant- and animal-derived. To see a list of common emulsifiers along with an indication of whether or not they are suitable for vegans, please refer to this link.
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