Sorbitan Esters
Sorbitan Esters are a family of non-ionic lipophilic emulsifiers produced by esterifying sorbitan (the dehydration product of sorbitol) with one or more food-grade fatty acids. The mainstream commercial members are Span 20 (monolaurate), Span 40 (monopalmitate), Span 60 (monostearate), Span 65 (tristearate), and Span 80 (monooleate).
The family carries E numbers E491 through E495 in the European Union and covers HLB values from approximately 1.8 to 8.6, placing it firmly in the water-in-oil emulsifier and lipid-co-emulsifier range. Sorbitan esters are the lipophilic partners of the polysorbate family.
We source bulk Sorbitan Esters from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Guangdong. For this ingredient the minimum order is 500 kg and a 20-foot container takes 25 MT, and 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
- Minimum order
- 500 kg
- Qty in 20' FCL
- 25 MT
- Packaging
- 250 kg plastic drum or 1,000 kg IBC tote
- ISO 9001
- HACCP
- Halal
- Kosher
Specifications
Grades / Types Available: Food Grade, Pharmaceutical Grade
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Cream to amber waxy solid or viscous liquid |
| Acid Value | ≤ 8.0 mg KOH/g |
| Saponification Value | 145-225 mg KOH/g |
| Hydroxyl Value | 190-490 mg KOH/g |
| Iodine Value | ≤ 4.0 g I₂/100g (stearates) |
| HLB Value | 1.8-8.6 (grade-dependent) |
| Heavy Metals (as Pb) | ≤ 2 mg/kg |
| Purity/Assay | ≥ 99% (Food Grade) |
| Viscosity | 1000-3000 mPa·s (Food Grade) |
| Moisture/Loss on Drying | ≤ 1% (Food Grade) |
| pH | 5.0-7.0 (Food Grade) |
| Lead | ≤ 2 ppm (Food Grade) |
| Arsenic | ≤ 1 ppm (Food Grade) |
| Total Plate Count | ≤ 1000 cfu/g (Food Grade) |
| Yeast & Mold | ≤ 100 cfu/g (Food Grade) |
Common Markets Grades
The sorbitan ester family is produced by both fatty acid identity and degree of esterification.
Monoester grades (Span 20, 40, 60, 80) are the most widely used. At room temperature they are waxy solids (Span 40, 60) or viscous yellow to amber liquids (Span 20, 80).
Tristearate grade (Span 65) is a higher-melting hard wax used as a fat crystal modifier in confectionery coatings and shortening blends.
Sesquioleate grade (Span 83) combines mono- and dioleate of sorbitan in a 1.5:1 average ratio and is used in industrial water-in-oil emulsion lubricants.
Food grade meets the JECFA specifications with controlled hydroxyl and saponification values, free fatty acid below 5 percent, and water below 1.5 percent. USP-NF and Ph. Eur. pharmaceutical grades add additional purity controls.
Plant-source fatty acids (palm, palm-kernel, soy, sunflower) are the default supply route; Kosher, Halal, and RSPO-certified palm variants are widely available.
Applications
- Ice cream, frozen desserts, and whipped toppings as fat-destabilization co-emulsifiers paired with polysorbates
- Cake mixes, icings, and bakery glazes for crumb softening and aeration
- Margarine, low-fat spreads, and butter blends as the water-phase emulsifier
- Chocolate, compound coatings, and confectionery fats as crystal modifiers and bloom inhibitors
- Cocoa butter equivalents and replacers for polymorphic stability
- Pharmaceutical creams, lotions, and ointments as water-in-oil emulsifiers
- Cosmetic moisturizers, sunscreens, and colour cosmetics as the primary water-in-oil emulsifier
- Vaccine adjuvant systems including squalene-based water-in-oil and oil-in-water emulsions
- Industrial agrochemical emulsifiable concentrate and wettable powder formulations
- Lubricant additive in metalworking and rolling oils
- Plastic processing as an antistatic and slip additive
China Manufacturers of Sorbitan Esters
Top Sorbitan Esters 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 Sorbitan Esters
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 Sorbitan Esters 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 Sorbitan Esters 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
Sorbitan esters are approved as food additives and pharmaceutical excipients in essentially every regulated market.
In the European Union they carry the E numbers E491 (sorbitan monostearate), E492 (sorbitan tristearate), E493 (sorbitan monolaurate), E494 (sorbitan monooleate), and E495 (sorbitan monopalmitate). The European Food Safety Authority re-evaluated the group in 2017 and confirmed a group acceptable daily intake expressed as sorbitan.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration permits sorbitan monostearate (21 CFR 172.842), sorbitan tristearate, and other family members with category-specific use limits in cake mixes, icings, dressings, and whipped toppings.
JECFA assigned the sorbitan esters group an ADI expressed as sorbitan. Pharmacopoeial monographs appear in USP-NF and Ph. Eur.
Kosher and Halal certifications are widely available when fatty acid sourcing is documented.
Manufacturing Process
All sorbitan esters are produced by direct esterification of sorbitol with fatty acids.
Sorbitol is first dehydrated to sorbitan by heating under vacuum with an acid or base catalyst at 150 to 200 degrees Celsius. A single water molecule is eliminated, producing a five-membered tetrahydrofuran ring with three free hydroxyl groups. A small fraction undergoes a second dehydration to isosorbide; this isosorbide content is a controlled impurity.
The sorbitan is then esterified with the chosen fatty acid (lauric, palmitic, stearic, or oleic) at 200 to 230 degrees Celsius under nitrogen with an alkaline catalyst such as sodium hydroxide or sodium acetate. The molar ratio of sorbitan to fatty acid determines the degree of esterification: 1:1 yields predominantly monoesters, 1:3 yields predominantly triesters.
After the target acid value is reached the catalyst is neutralised with phosphoric or citric acid and the crude is bleached with activated carbon. Products are packaged hot in pails, drums, or totes; solid Span 60 and Span 65 are shaped to flakes or pastilles.
The reaction can be run sequentially with the dehydration and esterification combined in a single reactor, the so-called one-pot route, which is the standard for commercial production.
