Glycerol or glycerin is a colourless odourless viscous liquid that is sweet-tasting and mostly non-toxic. It is widely used in the food industry as a sweetener and humectant and in pharmaceutical formulations.

Glucose oxidase, an enzyme extracted from the fungus Aspergillus niger, is an important industrial enzyme in the food industry and is widely used in the deoxygenation of foods such as wine, beer, fruit juice, milk powder, and in the improvement of flour and prevention of browning of foods, etc. It has antioxidant and potential anticancer activities.

Glutaric acid is a simple five-carbon linear dicarboxylic acid. Glutaric acid is naturally produced in the body during the metabolism of some amino acids including lysine and tryptophan. Glutaric acid may cause irritation to the skin and eyes. When present in sufficiently high levels glutaric acid can act as an acidogen and a metabotoxin.