SAIB Permitted By FDA as Beverage Weighting Agent

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a regulation permitting the use of sucrose acetate isobutyrate (SAIB) in beverages effective June 4, 1999. This issuing comes as a result of a petition from Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, TN), according to Eastman.

Barnes Louthan, business unit manager for food ingredients, said Eastman SAIB-SG is a distilled, highly-purified product, and at suggested usage levels is odorless and flavorless. "With the product now being permitted in the United States, it is approved in more than 40 countries, making it one of the most widely accepted weighting agents in the world."

SAIB metabolizes in the body to the common components of food and has been used safely for more than 25 years. It also has excellent oxidative stability. The weighting agent, produced under current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) for foods, meets the specifications of the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives.

Without weighting agents or stabilizers, flavoring oils separate from other beverage components and rise to the surface. SAIB weighting agent increases the specific gravity of the flavoring oils used in citrus beverages, giving increased stability to the finished beverage.

Eastman SAIB-SG is available as undiluted and in two low-viscosity blends. The blends contain either citrus oil or ethyl alcohol to allow pouring and/or pumping at ambient temperatures.

For more information: Eastman Chemical Co., 100 North Eastman Rd, P.O. Box 511, Kingsport, TN 37662-5075, Tel: 423-229-2000.