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. 2025 Aug 11;23(8):e9602.
doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9602. eCollection 2025 Aug.

Scientific opinion as regards the specifications of the food additives acetic, lactic, tartaric, mono- and diacetyltartaric, mixed acetic and tartaric acids esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E 472a,b,d,e,f)

EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF); Laurence Castle, Monica Andreassen, Gabriele Aquilina, Maria Lourdes Bastos, Polly Boon, Biagio Fallico, Reginald FitzGerald, Maria Jose Frutos Fernandez, Bettina Grasl-Kraupp, Ursula Gundert-Remy, Rainer Gürtler, Eric Houdeau, Marcin Kurek, Henriqueta Louro, Sabina Passamonti, Peter Fürst, Cheyns Karlien, Manuela Mirat, Alexandra Tard, Ana Maria Rincon

Scientific opinion as regards the specifications of the food additives acetic, lactic, tartaric, mono- and diacetyltartaric, mixed acetic and tartaric acids esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E 472a,b,d,e,f)

EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF) et al. EFSA J. .

Abstract

Acetic, lactic, tartaric, mono- and diacetyltartaric, mixed acetic and tartaric acids esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E 472a,b,d,e,f) were re-evaluated in 2020 by the Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF) Panel. The Panel issued several recommendations to amend the specifications of these food additives in Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012. The present opinion deals with the assessment of the data provided by interested business operators (IBOs) in support of an amendment of the EU specifications for these food additives. It also includes an assessment of dietary exposure to E 472d, E 472e and E 472f. The Panel concluded that the technical data provided by an IBO support amendments to the specifications for E 472a, E 472b and E 472e in Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012. However, regarding E 472d and E 472f, the Panel was unable to confirm that technical data provided by IBOs adequately support an amendment of the specifications as no supporting technical data were provided for these food additives. Dietary exposure estimates for E 472d, E 472e and E 472f, across all population groups and exposure scenarios, were found to be below the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 480 mg/kg body weight (bw) per day for E 472d and 600 mg/kg bw per day for E 472e and E 472f, based on the food categories included in the assessment.

Keywords: ACETEM; DATEM; E 472a; E 472b; E 472d; E 472e; E 47f; LACTEM; MATEM; food additive.

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Conflict of interest statement

In line with EFSA's policy on declarations of interest, the Panel member Patricia Morales did not participate in the adoption of this scientific output since she was involved in the development of the same opinion under the Framework Partnership Agreement (GP/EFSA/FIP/2022/01).

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
General structural formula for E 472a,b,d,e,f.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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