Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate
Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate (SAIB) is a mixed ester of sucrose carrying approximately two acetate and six isobutyrate groups per sucrose molecule. It carries E number E444 in the European Union and is a clear, very viscous pale yellow liquid.
The molecule is functionally a weighting agent. Its density of approximately 1.146 g/mL is slightly higher than water, and it is essentially insoluble in water but soluble in citrus and other essential oils. In flavoured beverages it brings the oil-phase density up to match the aqueous phase, preventing the ring of oil that would otherwise float to the neck of the bottle.
We source bulk Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Jiangxi. 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
- 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 | Clear, pale yellow viscous liquid |
| Assay | ≥ 98.8% |
| Acid Value | ≤ 0.2 |
| Saponification Value | 524-540 |
| Heavy Metals (as Pb) | ≤ 2 mg/kg |
| Content % | ≥98.5 |
| Color(Pt-Co), Max | ≤60 |
| Isobutyrate % | ≤1 |
| Acety % | ≤0.5 |
| Acetic acid % | ≤0.3 |
Common Markets Grades
Two grades of SAIB exist, beverage and pharmaceutical.
Beverage grade meets the JECFA specification for E444 with controlled saponification value (524-540 mg KOH/g), acid value below 0.2, hydroxyl value below 6.5, and refractive index 1.448 to 1.452. Residual acetic and isobutyric acid are tightly controlled.
Pharmaceutical grade meets the USP-NF monograph with additional residual solvent, heavy metal, and microbial controls for use in long-acting injectable formulations.
The product ships as a clear pale yellow viscous liquid in HDPE pails or steel drums lined with food-contact plastic. Specialized low-water grades exist for moisture-sensitive applications.
Eastman Chemical Company is the only major global manufacturer; the trade name SAIB-SG (special grade) is widely used as a generic descriptor.
Applications
- Citrus and cola flavoured beverages as a weighting agent at 50 to 300 mg/L
- Cloudy soft drinks and flavoured waters for emulsion stability
- Bitter lemon, tonic water, and ginger beer for the characteristic cloud and ring prevention
- Energy drinks and sports beverages with citrus-base flavour systems
- Pharmaceutical long-acting injectable depot formulations (Atrigel and similar systems)
- Veterinary depot injections for sustained-release antibiotic and hormone delivery
- Flavour encapsulation matrices for spray-dried flavour powders
- Specialty solvent for citrus and lipophilic flavour compounds
- Print ink and coating formulations as a non-volatile carrier
- Cigarette filter additives for tar reduction
Brands Using Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate on the ingredient label.
- FantaFanta Orange (355 mL) ↗Listed: 'carbonated water, cane sugar, citric acid, potassium sorbate, modified food starch, natural and artificial flavors, sucrose acetate isobutyrate, sodium hexametaphosphate, medium chain triglycerides, yellow 6, ascorbic acid, glycerol ester of rosin.'Label verified 2026-05-24
- FantaFanta Pineapple (12 oz) ↗Listed: 'carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural flavors, modified food starch, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate, sodium citrate, medium chain triglycerides, salt, sucrose acetate isobutyrate, yellow 5, yellow 6.'Label verified 2026-05-24
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 Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate
Top Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate 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 Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate
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 Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate 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 Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate 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
SAIB is approved as a food additive in essentially every regulated market with use specifically restricted to non-alcoholic flavoured and cola-type beverages.
In the European Union it carries the E number E444 and is permitted in non-alcoholic flavoured cloudy drinks at up to 300 mg/L under Regulation 1333/2008. The European Food Safety Authority re-evaluated SAIB in 2017 and confirmed the acceptable daily intake.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration permits SAIB as a beverage stabiliser under 21 CFR 172.833 at up to 300 mg/L in non-alcoholic carbonated and non-carbonated beverages containing flavouring oils.
JECFA evaluated SAIB and assigned an ADI in 2003 based on a long-term feeding study. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee notes that consumption is essentially limited to flavoured soft drinks and the dietary exposure remains well below the ADI.
SAIB is also used in licensed pharmaceutical depot injection products under the Atrigel platform (Eligard, Sandostatin LAR), where it functions as the implant matrix that hydrolyses slowly to release the active over weeks to months.
Manufacturing Process
SAIB is produced by Eastman Chemical Company at a dedicated plant in Kingsport, Tennessee. The process is a two-step esterification of food-grade sucrose.
Sucrose is first esterified with isobutyric anhydride in the presence of an alkaline catalyst at 60 to 100 degrees Celsius under inert atmosphere. Six of the eight available sucrose hydroxyls react preferentially with the bulkier isobutyrate, leaving the two primary hydroxyls available for the second step.
The intermediate is then esterified with acetic anhydride at similar conditions, converting the remaining two primary hydroxyls to acetate esters. The result is a mixed ester with an average degree of acetylation of 2 and an average degree of isobutyrylation of 6 per sucrose molecule.
After the reaction the catalyst is neutralised with phosphoric acid, residual acids are stripped under vacuum, the product is treated with activated carbon for colour removal, and the final material is filtered through 0.45 micron membrane to remove particulates.
The high viscosity of the finished product (>100,000 mPa·s at room temperature) requires heated handling and storage.
