E491 · CAS 1338-41-6 · HS 29157090

Sorbitan Monostearate

Sorbitan Monostearate, sold as Span 60, is a non-ionic lipophilic emulsifier with CAS number 1338-41-6 and E number E491 in the European Union. The HLB is approximately 4.7.

The molecule pairs a sorbitan core with a single stearic acid (C18:0) ester at the primary hydroxyl. At room temperature it is a cream-coloured hard wax with a melting point near 53 to 57 degrees Celsius, sold as flakes, beads, or pastilles.

We source bulk Sorbitan Monostearate from top China manufacturers for our partners, working with several of them. The manufacturers are in Guangdong and Zhejiang. 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: 25 kg kraft paper bag with PE inner liner

ISO 9001
HACCP
Halal
Kosher

Specifications

Grades / Types Available: Food Grade, Pharmaceutical Grade

Item	Specification
Appearance	Cream to tan waxy solid flakes
Acid Value	≤ 8.0 mg KOH/g
Saponification Value	147-157 mg KOH/g
Hydroxyl Value	235-260 mg KOH/g
Water Content	≤ 1.5%
Melting Point	53-57°C
HLB Value	4.7
Heavy Metals (as Pb)	≤ 2 mg/kg
Fatty acid	71~75%
Sorbitol	29.5~33.5%
Moisture	≤1.5%
Arsenic	≤3 mg/kg
Lead	≤2 mg/kg

Common Markets Grades

The market splits Span 60 into food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and industrial grades.

Food grade meets the JECFA specification for E491 with controlled hydroxyl value (235-260 mg KOH/g), saponification value (147-157 mg KOH/g), acid value below 10, and water below 1.5 percent.

USP-NF and Ph. Eur. pharmaceutical grade adds heavy metal limits, peroxide value control, and tighter purity specifications.

Cosmetic grade is produced for colour cosmetics, sunscreens, and oil-in-water creams paired with polysorbate 60.

Industrial grade is produced for textile spinning lubricants, antistatic plastics additives, and metalworking fluids.

Plant-source stearic acid (palm, soybean, or sunflower) is the standard supply route. RSPO-certified palm, Kosher, and Halal grades are widely available.

Applications

Cake mixes, icings, and bakery shortenings as a co-emulsifier with PGMS and monoglyceride
Whipping cream powders and aerosol whipped toppings for foam volume and stability
Ice cream and frozen desserts as a co-emulsifier paired with polysorbate 60 or polysorbate 80
Margarine and reduced-fat spreads as the lipid-phase emulsifier
Chocolate and compound coatings as a crystal modifier and bloom inhibitor
Coffee whiteners and powdered creamers as a co-emulsifier with sodium caseinate
Pharmaceutical creams, ointments, and topical preparations as the lipid-phase emulsifier
Cosmetic moisturizers, sunscreens, and colour cosmetics as the primary water-in-oil emulsifier
Yeast tableting and packaged-yeast formulations as a rehydration aid
Textile spinning lubricants and antistatic finishes
Plastic processing as a slip and antistatic additive

Brands Using Sorbitan Monostearate

Widely-distributed consumer products that list Sorbitan Monostearate on the ingredient label.

Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.

China Manufacturers of Sorbitan Monostearate

Top Sorbitan Monostearate 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 Monostearate

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 Monostearate 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 Monostearate 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 monostearate is approved as a food additive and pharmaceutical excipient in essentially every regulated market.

In the European Union it carries the E number E491 within the sorbitan esters family. The European Food Safety Authority re-evaluated the sorbitan esters group in 2017 and confirmed a group acceptable daily intake expressed as sorbitan.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration permits sorbitan monostearate as a food additive under 21 CFR 172.842 with category-specific use limits in cake mixes, icings, whipped vegetable oil toppings, beverage bases, and yeast packages.

JECFA assigned the sorbitan esters group an ADI expressed as sorbitan. Pharmacopoeial monographs for sorbitan monostearate appear in USP-NF, Ph. Eur., and JP.

Kosher and Halal certifications are widely available when stearic acid sourcing is documented.

Manufacturing Process

Sorbitan Monostearate Manufacturing Process

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Span 60 is produced by direct esterification of sorbitol with stearic acid.

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 a stearic acid stream (typically 60 to 70 percent stearic acid, balance palmitic acid) 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 is held close to 1:1 to favor the monoester.

The reaction is followed by acid value until the target specification is reached. The catalyst is neutralised with phosphoric or citric acid and the crude product is bleached with activated carbon. Span 60 is shaped to flakes, beads, or pastilles for handling and packaged in lined paper or polyethylene sacks.

The reaction is typically run as a one-pot dehydration and esterification by careful temperature staging, the standard for commercial production.