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E484EmulsifierLow concern
Stearyl Citrate
In plain words
The short version
A stearic citrate ester — niche sequestrant and antioxidant synergist.
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
JECFA set an ADI of 0–50 mg/kg body weight in 1973. Hydrolyzed in digestion to stearyl alcohol, citric acid, and ultimately stearic acid — all normal dietary components.
The detail
Manufactured by esterifying stearyl alcohol with citric acid. A specialty additive with narrow approved uses.
Niche use as a sequestrant in margarines and shortenings (binds trace metals that catalyze oxidation), and as a synergist that extends the protective effect of other antioxidants in edible oils. Less common than EDTA in the same role.
White waxy solid. Insoluble in cold water; soluble in oils and warm alcohol.
In the US, stearyl citrate is GRAS (21 CFR 184.1851) as an antioxidant, emulsifier, sequestrant and surface-active agent in margarine, non-alcoholic beverages, and fats and oils, at levels set by good manufacturing practice. It is not authorised as a food additive in the EU: E 484 is not in the Union list of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008.
Sources
- WHO JECFA database — Stearyl citrate (INS 484), evaluation 1973 — Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), 1973. JECFA ADI 0–50 mg/kg bw
- eCFR — 21 CFR 184.1851 Stearyl citrate (GRAS) — U.S. Government Publishing Office / FDA (eCFR), 2008. US GRAS: antioxidant, emulsifier, sequestrant in margarine, non-alcoholic beverages, fats and oils at GMP
- EUR-Lex — Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives, consolidated text of 18.08.2026 (Annex II Union list) — European Union (EUR-Lex), 2026. E 484 is absent from the EU Union list
Checked against these sources on .
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