USP GLYCERIN(E) is a clear, almost colorless product for uses requiring glycerine of high purity with taste and odor characteristics desirable for pharmaceutical and food purposes. The designation USP is an abbreviation of U.S. Pharmacopeia and signifies that the glycerine thus designated meets or exceeds the standards established in U.S.
Pharmacopeia (USP XXII, 1990) monograph, Glycerin. The USP designation has official legal status in the United States since the U.S. Pharmacopeia has been incorporated by reference in various statutes and regulations governing drug and medical practices, of which the federal Food. Drug. and Cosmetic Act is the most significant. USP glycerine is commonly available commercially at anhydrous glycerol content levels of 96%.99.0% and 99.5%. Concentrations above 99.5% are also available commercially.
CP GLYCERINE or chemically pure glycerine is generally understood to be of the same quality or grade as USP glycerine,but this term is considered generic in the United States because it does not reflect compliance with any official quality requirements or specifications a s does the USP designation.
FOOD GRADE GLYCERINE in the United States meets the requirements outlined in the monograph Glycerin contained in the Food Chemicals Codex prepared by the Committee on Food Protection of the National Research Council. Food grade requirements are similar to USP standards. Within the European Economic Community, glycerine for use in food products must comply with Council Directive 78/663/EEC which specifies the standards of purity for emulsifiers,stabilizers thickeners, and gelling agents for use in foods.
HIGH GRAVITY GLYCERINE is a designation used in the United States for a commercial grade of glycerine that is clear,almost colorless and conforms to Federal Specification 0-G-491C issued November 14, 1983 by the General Services Administration. This product also conforms to Standard Specification for High-Gravity Glycerin, D-1257, issued by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). This grade must contain not less than 98.7% glycerol. It is commonly supplied at not less than 99.O% concentration.
DYNAMITE GLYCERINE in the United States meets all the High Gravity grade specifications except color, but it cannot be darker than the Federal Color Standard. In Europe, glycerine for use in explosives is defined by Specification 21D for dynamite glycerine issued by the Nobel Explosives Company Ltd. The British Standards Institution has also issued a standard specification for this grade of glycerine as British Standard Specification for Dynamite Glycerol.
