Diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides (DATEM)

What this is

DATEM is a mixture, not a single pure molecule, so specifications matter. FDA's current regulation affirms it as GRAS for specified food uses at current good manufacturing practice, while Codex/JECFA list it as INS 472e and JECFA assigned an ADI of 0-50 mg/kg body weight. EFSA's recent review describes E 472a-f as extensively hydrolysed in the gut or systemically into ordinary dietary constituents and says no adverse effects relevant for humans were identified; 2025 exposure estimates for E 472e were below EFSA's 600 mg/kg bw/day ADI. The practical caution is specification control: EFSA recommended updates around L(+)-tartaric acid, toxic elements, trans fats, erucic acid, oxalates, 3-MCPD and glycidyl esters. Regulators broadly treat DATEM as permitted under conditions, but Texas enacted a warning-label law listing DATEM; enforcement of that labeling provision is currently partly enjoined during litigation.

Safety Review

The critical endpoints experts review in safety assessments. This is not a prediction of harm.

Toxicology reviews describe DATEM/E472e as extensively hydrolyzed in the gut or systemically, with no human-relevant adverse effects identified at evaluated exposures. The main caution is mixture specification: EFSA flagged contaminants and impurity controls, and JECFA reviewed high-dose cardiac/adrenal rat findings while retaining an ADI with a large safety factor.