Sucrose Esters & Sucroglycerides
E473–E474
E473, E474, sucrose esters, sucrose esters of fatty acids, sucrose fatty acid esters, sucroglycerides
What it is
Emulsifiers made from sucrose and fatty acids. E473 is sucrose esters of fatty acids; E474 is sucroglycerides.
Why BOTIA flags it
Sucrose esters are made by joining sugar and fatty acids and are used to keep fat and water mixed. The body breaks them down into their components. JECFA set a group ADI of 0–30 mg/kg body weight because higher doses can have a laxative effect. In its conservative 2020 estimate, high exposure in children aged 3–9 reached 113 mg/kg per day, almost four times that limit; JECFA considered the estimate conservative and asked for more refined exposure calculations.
BOTIA CAN
- Detect E473, E474, sucrose esters of fatty acids and sucroglycerides.
- Explain the JECFA group ADI and that the 2020 conservative high-exposure estimate exceeded it in children aged 3–9.
BOTIA CANNOT
- Determine how much E473 or E474 is present in a product from the ingredient list.
- Treat a conservative population exposure estimate as proof that an individual child consuming a particular product exceeds the ADI.