polysorbate
English
Etymology
Noun
polysorbate (plural polysorbates)
- (chemistry) Any of a class of emulsifiers used as food additives and in pharmaceutical preparations; they are derived from sorbitan (typically with three polyoxyethylene side-chains) esterified with a fatty acid; they are mostly oily liquids, or soft solids.
Usage notes
- Individual members of this class are identified with an arbitrary numerical suffix
Synonyms
- E432 - polysorbate 20
- E433 - polysorbate 80
- E434 - polysorbate 40
- E435 - polysorbate 60
- E436 - polysorbate 65
- Tween™ nn