Stearil tartarat

Detailed information

What it is & how it is made

Stearyl tartrate is an emulsifier formed by esterification of tartaric acid with commercial stearyl alcohol, which consists mainly of stearyl and palmityl alcohols. It was used as a dough strengthener in bread and fine bakery wares.

Where it is used

IMPORTANT: this additive is NO LONGER authorised in the EU. Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2379 deleted it from Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 and from the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 231/2012, and the prohibition applies from 23 April 2024; foods lawfully placed on the market before that date may be sold until their date of minimum durability or use-by date. The consolidated text of Regulation 231/2012 as at 27 October 2025 contains no specification entry for E 483 at all.

Health note

The reason for the removal is EFSA's 2020 re-evaluation (EFSA Journal 2020;18(3):6033). The previously evaluated toxicological studies were not available, no genotoxicity data could be found, and adequate data demonstrating complete hydrolysis of the substance in the gastrointestinal tract were not submitted. The Panel concluded that the safety of stearyl tartrate as a food additive could not be assessed and that the acceptable intake established by the Scientific Committee for Food (SCF) in 1978 could not be confirmed.

Halal assessment

Because the substance is not authorised in the EU there is no current EU specification and therefore no raw-material information defined in the legislation. The stearyl alcohol in its structure may have been obtained from either vegetable or animal fat; unless the source is documented it should be treated as source dependent. In practice the decisive point is that this additive no longer appears in the EU or Turkish Food Codex lists.