Polysorbate40
Polysorbate 40, also called Tween 40, is a non-ionic surfactant with CAS number 9005-66-7 and an HLB of approximately 15.6. The molecule pairs a sorbitan core with a single palmitic acid (C16:0) ester and three polyoxyethylene chains averaging twenty ethylene oxide units in total.
At room temperature it is a viscous yellow liquid or soft paste, slightly more solid than Polysorbate 80 and less waxy than Polysorbate 60. It is the least-used member of the four mainstream polysorbates, but plays a defined role in pharmaceutical and analytical applications where its specific HLB and palmitate identity are needed.
We source bulk Polysorbate40 from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Guangdong. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
- Packaging
- 190 kg steel drum or 25 kg jerrican
- ISO 9001
- HACCP
- Halal
- Kosher
Specifications
Grades / Types Available: Food Grade, Pharmaceutical Grade
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Amber viscous oily liquid |
| Acid Value | ≤ 2.0 mg KOH/g |
| Saponification Value | 41-52 mg KOH/g |
| Hydroxyl Value | 90-107 mg KOH/g |
| Water Content | ≤ 3.0% |
| HLB Value | 15.6 |
| Heavy Metals (as Pb) | ≤ 5 mg/kg |
| Relative density | 1.07～1.10 |
| Moisture % | ≤3 |
Common Markets Grades
Polysorbate 40 is produced primarily in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and laboratory grades.
USP-NF and Ph. Eur. pharmaceutical grade meets the pharmacopoeial assay range with maximum 1 ppm 1,4-dioxane and controlled hydroxyl, saponification, and peroxide values.
Food grade is permitted in the United States under 21 CFR but is rarely specified separately in modern formulations; most food formulators select polysorbate 60 or 80 instead.
Laboratory and biotechnology grade is used in tissue culture and microbial growth media where polysorbate 40 is part of a defined supplement (for example certain mycobacterial growth media).
Plant-source palmitic acid (palm or palm-kernel) is the standard supply route. Kosher and Halal certifications follow source documentation.
Applications
- Pharmaceutical creams, ointments, and lotions as a non-ionic emulsifier
- Oral pharmaceutical suspensions and elixirs for lipophilic actives
- Cosmetic moisturizers, sunscreens, and colour cosmetics as a co-emulsifier
- Microbiological growth media (notably mycobacterial broth) as a defined carbon-source surfactant
- Tissue-culture media supplements for cell-shear protection
- Personal-care fragrance solubilisers and micellar cleansers
- Food applications (United States) including non-standardised dressings and toppings under 21 CFR 172.836
- Industrial agrochemical wettable powder and emulsifiable concentrate formulations
- Laundry and household cleaner formulations as a non-ionic surfactant
- Pharmaceutical injectable solubilisation where a palmitate-specific surfactant is required
China Manufacturers of Polysorbate40
Top Polysorbate40 manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
How We Help Source Polysorbate40
Direct Factory Sourcing
We run the whole process: selecting the manufacturer from the top Chinese food ingredient producers, negotiating the price, verifying quality, and coordinating the logistics. You deal with us instead of with several factories at once.
Original Packaging and Documents from the Manufacturer
The manufacturer sends your Polysorbate40 out of its own factory in the original packing, through to your destination port. The COA, COO, MSDS, TDS and any certifications reach you from the manufacturer as well.
Free Samples and Lead Time
We send 100 to 500 g free for your own laboratory to test and you cover only the courier, usually within 2 to 3 working days. ETD is usually within 7 to 15 days once the order is confirmed, and we check that date against the factory's own manufacturing schedule before we give it to you.
Combined Shipment
We can load Polysorbate40 together with other ingredients such as Polyglycerol Esters of Fatty Acids, Non-Dairy Creamer and Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids into one 20' FCL. If your quantity is small, we can also ship LCL.
Regulatory Status
Polysorbate 40 is approved as a food additive and pharmaceutical excipient in essentially every regulated market.
In the European Union it carries the E number E434 within the polysorbates family (E432-E436). The European Food Safety Authority re-evaluated the group in 2015 and confirmed the existing group acceptable daily intake.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration permits polysorbate 40 under 21 CFR 172.836 with category-specific use limits. Although food use is permitted, formulators rarely select Polysorbate 40 over the more popular Polysorbate 60 and 80.
JECFA assigned the polysorbates group an ADI. Pharmacopoeial monographs appear in USP-NF, Ph. Eur., and JP.
Residual ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane are controlled below 1 ppm in all current compendia.
Manufacturing Process
Polysorbate 40 is produced by the same two-stage route as the rest of the polysorbate family.
Stage one is sorbitan formation and esterification. Sorbitol is heated under vacuum with an acid or base catalyst at 150 to 200 degrees Celsius to eliminate one molecule of water and form a five-membered sorbitan ring. The sorbitan is then esterified with palmitic acid at 200 to 230 degrees Celsius under nitrogen with an alkaline catalyst, producing sorbitan monopalmitate (Span 40).
Stage two is ethoxylation. Span 40 is reacted with twenty equivalents of ethylene oxide gas at 130 to 180 degrees Celsius and 3 to 5 bar with potassium hydroxide catalyst. Ethylene oxide adds across the free sorbitan hydroxyls and on the fatty acid ester, producing a statistical distribution of polyoxyethylene chains totaling twenty units per molecule.
After neutralisation with phosphoric or citric acid the product is vacuum-stripped to remove residual ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane, decolorised with activated carbon, and packaged hot.
The palmitic acid feedstock is the principal cost variable. Pharmaceutical-grade plants use refined plant-source palmitic acid with documented low peroxide value and a defined fatty acid distribution.
