E471 is monoacylglycerol (MAG) or monoglyceride (MG) used as emulsifier in food and cosmetic products. To better understand what are they and their “halal” status, let me brief you how they are prepared. This type of emulsifier can be prepared industrially through :
1) glycerolysis : fats/oils + glycerol ——-> MAG;
2)alcoholysis : fats/oils + + methanol/ethanol/butanol ——->MAG; and
3) direct esterification : glycerol + fatty acid ——> MAG
Both chemical catalysts (base, acid) and biocatalyst (lipase) can be employed in the reactions. In Malaysia, of course the source for fat/oil and glycerol (a product from fat splitting : fats/oils+ H2O ——–> glycerol + fatty acids) is palm oil. Nowadays, the vegetable oils (palm, sunflower, soya bean, corn, coconut) become the choice of producers/manufacturers since they themselves are quite aware of the needs to have halal or khoser foods by Muslims and Jews worldwide. Furthermore, almost 90% of the world’s oils/fats supplies are from vegetable oils which are helthier then the animal fats (tallows, lard).
Anyway, the honest is still with the producers. Based on the above-mentioned senario, most likely plant-base emulsifiers (in this case E471) are used.
If we adopt the concept of “istihalah” (transformation), there will no more issue on halal/haram since chemically and physically, the emulsifiers are totally different from fats/oils.
God knows best (wallahualam).
Regards