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E444EmulsifierLow concern
Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate
In plain words
The short version
SAIB — a heavy density-matching emulsifier for citrus-flavored beverages; replaced BVO in many reformulations.
Why it's green
It's widely considered safe at the amounts used in food, so we mark it green. The Safety section below has the details.
Safety profile
ADI of 0–20 mg/kg body weight (JECFA, 1996). EFSA's 2016 re-evaluation also set an ADI of 20 mg/kg body weight per day, replacing the earlier EU (SCF, 1994) ADI of 10 mg/kg body weight per day. Largely hydrolyzed in digestion to sucrose, acetic acid, and isobutyric acid — all normal dietary components. The fraction reaching the colon is fermented.
The detail
Manufactured by mixed acetylation and isobutyrylation of sucrose with acetic anhydride and isobutyric anhydride. The mixed-ester sucrose product is heavy (density ~1.15) and oil-soluble — exactly matching the density of citrus flavor oils.
Added at 50–300 ppm to citrus-flavored soft drinks and energy drinks to match the density of citrus oils to the beverage water phase — prevents oil ring formation during storage. Specifically named when Pepsi and Coca-Cola removed brominated vegetable oil (BVO) from US formulations in 2014.
Colorless, very viscous (honey-like) liquid. Oil-soluble; insoluble in water. Heavy density.
Permitted in the US and EU for beverage applications. In the EU it is limited to cloudy flavoured drinks and flavoured cloudy alcoholic drinks under 15% alcohol (300 mg/L); in the US to stabilizing flavoring-oil emulsions in non-alcoholic beverages (300 mg/kg of the finished beverage).
Sources
- EFSA ANS Panel — Re-evaluation of sucrose acetate isobutyrate (E 444) as a food additive, EFSA Journal 2016, doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2016.4489 — EFSA, 2016. Safety: ADI 20 mg/kg bw/day (revised from SCF 10); EU authorisation predates 2017
- JECFA database — Sucrose acetate isobutyrate (INS 444), evaluation 1996 (46th meeting) — WHO / Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, 1996. Safety: JECFA ADI 0–20 mg/kg bw (earlier 0–10 was temporary, 1993)
- 21 CFR 172.833 — Sucrose acetate isobutyrate (SAIB) — eCFR / US FDA, 2026. US status: flavoring-oil emulsion stabilizer in non-alcoholic beverages, max 300 mg/kg
- Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives — consolidated text of 18.08.2026 (Annex II) — EUR-Lex / European Union, 2026. EU status: E 444 permitted at 300 mg/L in cloudy drinks (and cloudy flavoured alcoholic drinks <15% vol)
Checked against these sources on .
Educational information only. Not medical, dietary or veterinary advice. Spotted an error? Tell us.