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 health areas reviewed when evaluating an ingredient. This does not mean the ingredient is proven to cause 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.