Sodium stearoyl lactylate

Sodium stearoyl lactylate, or E 481, is a food emulsifier mixture. It is related to calcium stearoyl lactylate, E 482, but the two names identify different additives. EFSA set a shared daily intake value of 22 mg/kg body weight based on a one-year sodium-salt rat study. That study was reassuring for general toxicity; dedicated reproductive and lifetime cancer studies were missing from the assessment.

A Belgian exposure study found much lower estimated intakes when measured food concentrations replaced legal maximums, although a small proportion of children still exceeded the shared intake value. Exceeding that value does not itself demonstrate injury. A laboratory study using pooled human fecal bacteria found that sodium stearoyl lactylate reduced butyrate production and increased bacterial inflammatory signals. It did not test illness or intestinal damage in people.

A French cohort separately analyzed E 481 and found no clear association with overall cancer. Human intervention evidence specific to this additive remains sparse, and effects reported for other emulsifiers cannot be assigned to it automatically. Ingredient lists do not reveal the amount consumed.

Research reviewed on September 5, 2026 · 12 sources