Thermally oxidized soya bean oil interacted with mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

E number E479bINS 479CAS 884318-13-2

Listed as an emulsifier by Codex.

Listed as emulsifiers (Codex)

Thermally oxidised soya bean oil interacted with mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids is an emulsifier used in fat emulsions for frying, where it reduces spattering.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Thermally oxidized soya bean oil interacted with mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
Australia and New ZealandFood Standards Australia New ZealandNo listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it.
CanadaHealth CanadaNo listing matchedHealth Canada’s lists name additives without E or INS numbers, so this site matches them by exact name. A substance listed there under a name this site does not recognise has no row here.
European UnionEuropean Commission / EFSAPermitted, with conditions

1 food category

highest permitted level 5,000 mg/kg

ML = 5000 mg/kg. only fat emulsions for frying purposes.

Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II, as amended by (EU) No 1129/2011retrieved 2026-10-18
Great BritainFood Standards Agency / Food Standards ScotlandPermitted, with conditions

1 food category

highest permitted level 5,000 mg/kg or mg/l

ML = 5000. only fat emulsions for frying purposes.

Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II (as at 28 June 2024)retrieved 2026-10-18
JapanConsumer Affairs AgencyNo listing matchedThis site imports only Japan’s list of designated additives (Appended Table 1 to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act), matched by English name. Existing additives, natural flavouring agents and ordinary foods used as additives are permitted outside that list and are not imported, so an empty row does not show that Japan does not permit the substance.
South KoreaMinistry of Food and Drug SafetyNo listing matchedThis site imports Part III of South Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, matched by CAS number, then INS number, then exact name. Mixed preparations and sanitisers are not imported, and an entry whose identifiers disagreed with a page’s is held for review, so an empty row does not show that South Korea does not permit the substance.
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationNot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFAPermitted, with conditions

1 food category

highest permitted level 5,000 mg/kg

Note 531 For use in products conforming to the Standard for Spreads and Blended Spreads (CXS 256-2007); for use in fat emulsions for frying or baking purpose only.

Note XS253 Excluding products conforming to the Standard for Dairy Fat Spreads (CXS 253-2006).

CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 479, food category 02.2.2retrieved 2026-09-07

How much is permitted

A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.

European Union5,000 mg/kg1 numeric limit
Great Britain5,000 mg/kg1 numeric limit
Codex Alimentarius5,000 mg/kg1 numeric limit

What it is made from

Made by heating soya bean oil in air and reacting the product with mono- and diglycerides. The soya oil is of plant origin; the glycerides may not be.

  • Vegan status depends on the source
  • Vegetarian status depends on the source
  • May raise a halal question
  • May raise a kosher question

This is not an omission. What this additive is made from is not fixed — depending on the manufacturer it may be plant, animal or microbial in origin, nobody is required to say which, and the same product can change source between production runs. Ask the manufacturer if it matters to you; a label cannot answer it.

Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.

Allergen labelling

  • From soybeans. Made from soybean oil. Annex II item 6(a) excepts fully refined soybean oil and fat, not substances made from them.

The EU’s list of allergens an ingredients list must emphasise is Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II (consolidated text of 1 April 2025). Whether a product must declare one depends on what its additive was actually made from, which the label may not show; see the allergen origin index.

CAS registry number
884318-13-2

The two specifications, compared

The European Union sets identity and purity by regulation; JECFA publishes its own through FAO, advisory until a country adopts it. Both documents are below in full. These are the parameters each puts a number on.

ParameterEuropean UnionJECFA
Leadno more than 2 mg/kgno more than 2 mg/kg
Arsenicno more than 3 mg/kg—
Mercuryno more than 1 mg/kg—
Cadmiumno more than 1 mg/kg—

The two documents state the same figures for every parameter compared here.

How the EU defines it

The legal specification an additive must meet to be sold as this E number in the EU — what it is, how it may be made, and the purity it must reach. From Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012.

E 479b Thermally oxidised soya bean oil interacted with mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

Thermally oxidised soya bean oil interacted with mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids is a complex mixture of esters of glycerol and fatty acids found in edible fat and fatty acids from thermally oxidised soya bean oil. It is produced by interaction and deodorisation under vacuum at 130 °C of 10 % of thermally oxidised soya bean oil and 90 % mono- and diglycerides of food fatty acids. Soya bean oil is exclusively made from strains of soya beans

Synonyms: TOSOM

Assay, identification and purity criteria

Description and assay

Description
Pale yellow to light brown a waxy or solid consistency

Identification

Solubility
Insoluble in water. Soluble in hot oil or fat

Purity criteria

Melting range
55-65 °C
Free fatty acids
Not more than 1,5 % estimated as oleic acid
Free glycerol
Not more than 2 %
Total fatty acids
83-90 %
Total glycerol
16-22 %
Fatty acid methyl esters, not forming adduct with urea
Not more than 9 % of total fatty acid methyl esters
Fatty acids, insoluble in petroleum ether
Not more than 2 % of total fatty acids
Peroxide value
Not more than 3
Epoxides
Not more than 0,03 % oxirane oxygen
Arsenic
Not more than 3 mg/kg
Lead
Not more than 2 mg/kg
Mercury
Not more than 1 mg/kg
Cadmium
Not more than 1 mg/kg

Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012, Annex, E 479b

How JECFA defines it

The international specification for identity and purity, prepared by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives and published by FAO. It is a different document from any above, written by a different body and revised on its own cycle; it is advisory, and a country adopts it or does not.

INS 479 Thermally oxidized Soya Bean Oil interacted with Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids

A complex mixture of esters of glycerol and fatty acids found in edible fat and fatty acids from thermally oxidized soya bean oil; produced by interaction and desodourization under vacuum at 130 o of 10 % w/w of thermally oxidized soya bean oil (thermally oxidized soya bean oil is obtained by oxidation of refined soya bean oil with air at 190 - 200 o ) and 90 % w/w of mono- and diglycerides of food fatty acids.

Synonyms: INS no. 479, TOSOM TOSOM

Assay, identification and purity criteria

Description and assay

Specification history
THERMALLY OXIDIZED SOYA BEAN OIL interacted with MONO- and DIGLYCERIDES of FATTY ACIDS Prepared at the 39th JECFA (1992), published in FNP 52 Add 1 (1992). Metals and arsenic specifications revised at the 55th JECFA (2000) An ADI of 0-30 mg/kg bw was established at the 39th JECFA (1992)
Structural formula
(principal component) where R 1 , R 2 and R 3 variously may be a: - normal fatty acid - oxidized fatty acid (e.g. hydroxyl and/or carbonyl compound of fatty acid) - hydrogen - short chain fatty acid - di- and polymer of oxidized fatty acids The product may contain small quantities of free fatty acids and free glycerol.
DESCRIPTION
Pale yellow to light brown with a waxy or solid consistency.
FUNCTIONAL USES
Emulsifier, antispattering agent

Identification

Solubility (Vol. 4)
Insoluble in water; soluble in hot fats and oils

Purity criteria

Melting range (Vol. 4)
55 o - 65 o
Free fatty acids (Vol. 4)
Not more than 1.5 % w/w calculated as oleic acid Proceed as directed under Free Fatty Acids using the equivalence factor e = 28.2.
Free glycerol (Vol. 4)
Not more than 2 % w/w
Total fatty acids
83 - 90 % w/w See description under TESTS
Total glycerol
16-22% w/w See description under TESTS
Fatty acids, insoluble in petroleum ether
Not more than 2 % w/w of total fatty acids See description under TESTS
Fatty acid methyl esters, not forming adduct with urea
Not more than 9.0 % w/w of total fatty acid methyl esters See description under TESTS
Peroxide value
Not more than 3 See description under TESTS
Epoxides
Not more than 0.03 % w/w oxiran oxygen See description under TESTS
Lead (Vol. 4)
Not more than 2 mg/kg Determine using an atomic absorption technique appropriate to the specified level. The selection of sample size and method of sample preparation may be based on the principles of the method described in Volume 4, “Instrumental Methods.”
Test: Total fatty acids
Weigh accurately about 12 g of the sample into a 500-ml conical flask, add 100 ml of 2 N alcoholic potassium hydroxide solution and reflux for 1 hour on a sand bath. It is necessary to swirl the flask every 5 to 10 min during the reflux period. Transfer quantitatively the hot content of the saponification flask to a 500-ml separating funnel, using 100 ml of water and set aside to cool. Extract the aqueous solution by vigorously shaking for 1 min with 3 100-ml portions of petroleum ether (40-60 o ). Transfer the aqueous solution to a clean 1000-ml round bottomed flask and discard the organic extracts. Reduce the volume of the aqueous solution by evaporation till about 200 ml, using a rotatory evaporator under vacuum at 70 o (the smell of ethanol has disappeared). Add cautiously 75 ml of 4 N hydrochloric acid and shake vigorously. Transfer the content of the flask to a 500-ml separating funnel, using 2 25-ml portions of water. Set aside to cool to 30-35 o and then add 2 50-ml portions of ether. When the mixture has cooled to room temperature, shake vigorously for about 1 min. Set aside for separation of layers. Transfer the aqueous layer to a 500 ml separation funnel and extract with further 2 100-ml portions of ether. Transfer the aqueous solution to the 1000 ml round bottomed flask and combine all 3 ether extracts in a separating funnel. Wash the combined extracts with 3 100-ml portions of water and combine the washings with the aqueous solution in the round bottomed flask. This solution is used for the test for Total glycerol. Transfer the ether fraction to a dry and previously tared 500-ml round bottomed flask. Evaporate to dryness using a rotatory evaporator at vacuum and slowly increasing the temperature from 40 o to 70 o . Add 100 ml of acetone and evaporate to dryness. Empty the receiver and continue to evaporate at full vacuum at 100 o for further 20 min. Place the flask in an oven at 110±5 o for 1 hour. Cool in a desiccator and weigh the flask, now containing the isolated fatty acids. Calculation: where A = weight of empty flask (g) B = weight of flask and fatty acids (g) W = weight of sample (g)
Test: Total glycerol
Use the aqueous solution obtained by the test for Total fatty acids. Transfer quantitatively the aqueous solution to a 1000-ml volumetric flask. Dilute to mark with water. Pipet 50 ml of periodic acid into a 400 ml beaker and then 15 ml of the sample solution. Shake gentle to affect thorough mixing. Cover with a watch glass and allow to stand for 30 min. Add 20 ml of potassium iodide solution (150 g/l), mix by gentle shaking and allow to stand 1 min (never more than 5 min) protected from light. Add water to approximately 200 ml and titrate with 0.1 N sodium thiosulfate TS solution using Starch solution TS as indicator. Carry out a blank using 15 ml of water instead of sample solution. Calculation: where, B = ml of sodium thiosulfate used for the blank S = ml of sodium thiosulfate used for the sample N = normality of sodium thiosulfate W = weight of sample (g)
Test: Fatty acids, insoluble in petroleum ether
Weigh accurately about 5 g of the isolated fatty acids, obtained by the test for Total fatty acids, into a 250-ml round bottomed flask (flask I). Add 100 ml of petroleum ether (40-60 o ) and reflux for 30 min. at 55 o on a water bath. Cool, close the flask with a glass stopper and leave over-night. Heat the flask under reflux to 55 o and decant and discard the organic solution. Wash the flask and its content with 2 25-ml portions and 1 10-ml portion of petroleum ether. Discard the washings. Add 30 ml of 96 % v/v solution of ethanol to flask I and dissolve the content at low heat. Filter the solution into a dry and previously weighed 100-ml round bottomed flask (flask II). Wash flask I and the filter thoroughly with 3 10 ml-portions of 96 % v/v solution of ethanol. Evaporate the content of flask II to dryness using a rotatory evaporator under vacuum at 70 o . Add 50 ml of petroleum ether. Heat to 55 o at a water bath under reflux for 30 min. Cool and decant and discard the petroleum ether solution. Wash the content of flask II with further 2 25-ml portions of petroleum ether. Discard the washings. Evaporate the content of flask II to dryness using a rotatory evaporator under vacuum at 70 o at a water bath. Continue to evaporate for further 15 min at full vacuum. Leave the flask in an oven at 105±5 o for 1 h. Cool in an desiccator and weigh the flask. Calculate the Fatty acids, not soluble in petroleum ether (% w/w of total fatty acids, from: where A = weight of empty flask II (g) B = weight of flask II with content (g) W = weight of sample of fatty acids (g)
Test: Fatty acid methyl esters, not forming adduct with urea
Weigh accurately about 5 g of the isolated fatty acids, obtained by the test for Total fatty acids, into a dry previously weighed 250-ml round bottomed flask. Add 10.0 ml of methanol, 1.0 ml of conc. hydrochloric acid and 25 ml of dimethoxypropane (mix after each addition). Close the flask using a glass stopper, swirl if necessary to dissolve and leave for reaction at room temperature for 1 hour. Add 50 ml of toluene and evaporate to dryness under vacuum at 60 o at water bath using a rotatory evaporator. Dissolve the residue in 50 ml of petroleum ether and evaporate to dryness under the same conditions as before. Continue to evaporate for further 15 min under full vacuum at 100 o . Place the flask now containing the fatty acid methyl esters in an oven at 105±5 o for 1 hour. Cool in a desiccator. Introduce in small portions 250 g of urea into a 30 x 2 cm glass column with a fritted glass disk at bottom tapping the column to assure optimal packing. Connect a separatory funnel to the top of the column through a stopper. Add to the separator y funnel, 150 ml of methanol, previously saturated with urea at room temperature. Introduce the methanol through the stopcock of the separatory funnel at a flow rate of approximately 10 ml/min. Weigh accurately about 5 g of the fatty acid methyl esters into a 250-ml conical flask and dissolve in 100 ml of methanol. Transfer quantitatively the solution to the separatory funnel using 2 25-ml portions of methanol, previously saturated with urea at room temperature. Elute the solution through the stopcock of the separatory funnel at a flow rate of approximately 10 ml/min. Collect the eluate in a 500-ml roundbottomed flask. Add to the separatory funnel when empty, 200 ml of methanol, previously saturated with urea at room temperature and continue elution until the flow from the column stops. Evaporate the eluate, using a rotatory evaporator under vacuum at 60 o , until crystals accurately appear in the liquid. Add 200 ml of water to the flask and diluted hydrochloric acid till pH less than 3. Transfer quantitatively the solution to a 1000-ml separatory funnel using 2 25-ml portions of water and 1 50-ml portion of ether. Shake vigorously and set aside to separate. Repeat the extraction with 3 50-ml portions of ether further, collecting the ether fractions in a 500-ml separatory funnel. Discard the water fraction. Wash the combined ether fractions with 2 50-ml portions of water. Discard the washings. Transfer quantitatively the ether solution to a dry previously weighed 500-ml round bottomed flask using a small quantity of acetone. Evaporate to dryness using a rotatory evaporator under vacuum at 40-50 o . Add 50 ml of acetone and dissolve the residue. Evaporate to dryness under the same conditions. Add further 50 ml of acetone, dissolve and evaporate to dryness. Continue evaporation under full vacuum at 100 o for 45 min. Place the flask in an oven at 105±5 o for 1 hour, cool in a desiccator and weigh the flask with content. Calculate Fatty acid esters not forming adduct with urea (% of total fatty acid esters) from where, A = weight of empty flask (g) B = weight of flask with content (g) W = weight of fatty acid esters (g)
Test: Peroxide value
Weigh accurately about 5 g of the sample into a 200-ml conical flask. Add 30 ml of a 2:3 solution of chloroform and acetic acid TS and close the flask with a stopper. Heat with warm water and swirl to dissolve the sample. Cool to room temperature and add 0,5 ml of saturated potassium iodide solution. Close the flask with the stopper and shake vigorously for 60±5 sec. Add 30 ml of acetic acid TS and titrate immediately with 0.01 N Sodium thiosulfate using Starch TS as indicator. Carry out a blank determination without sample. Calculation: where a = amount of sodium thiosulfate used for the sample (ml) b = amount of sodium thiosulfate used for the blank (ml) N = normality of the sodium thiosulfate W = weight of sample (g)
Test: Epoxides
Accurately weigh about 3 g of the sample into 250-ml round bottomed flask, add 10 ml of monochlorobenzene and dissolve the sample. Dilute with 40 ml of 2-propanol, add 10 ml of 0.1 N 2,4,6-trimethylpyridin hydrochloride solution and reflux for 1 hour at a warm sand bath. Let cool to room temperature and add 25 ml of water. Measure the temperature of the solution and determine the excess of 2,4,6-trimethylpyridin hydrochloride by potentiometric titration with 0.1 N sodium methylate solution. Carry out a blank without sample. Calculation: where a = amount of sodium methanolate solution used for the sample (ml) b = amount of sodium methanolate solution used for the blank (ml) N = normality of sodium methanolate solution W = weight of sample (g)

FAO JECFA Monograph 1 (2006)

Every name it appears under

39 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

E number

  • E479b

INS number

  • 479

CAS registry number

  • 884318-13-2

As it appears in regulation

  • Thermally oxidized soya bean oil interacted with mono and diglycerides of fatty acids

Other names

  • Oxidised soya bean oil interacted with mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E 479b)
  • THERMALLY OXIDIZED SOYA BEAN OIL INTERACTED WITH MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES OF FATTY ACIDS

Hazard reference values

Values set by assessing bodies. A body that has not set a value is not listed here.
TypeValuePopulationAssessed byOpinion
ADI30 mg/kg bw/day—JECFA1992

Evidence and how bodies read it

What assessing bodies concluded

Each conclusion is paraphrased in the body's own framing, from the published opinion linked beneath it. Where bodies differ, both stand; this site does not adjudicate between them or add a view of its own.

  1. EFSA 2018

    The FAF Panel concluded that the toxicological data on thermally oxidised soya bean oil interacted with mono- and diglycerides (E 479b) were insufficient to support the current ADI, owing to missing ADME and developmental toxicity data. Given a margin of safety of 540 and its limited current use, it considered the additive to be of no safety concern, and recommended changes to the specifications.

    Source document

Common questions

Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.

What is E 479b?
E 479b is Thermally oxidized soya bean oil interacted with mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids. Thermally oxidised soya bean oil interacted with mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids is an emulsifier used in fat emulsions for frying, where it reduces spattering.
What is Thermally oxidized soya bean oil interacted with mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids used for in food?
It is listed as an emulsifier — the role Codex assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
Where is Thermally oxidized soya bean oil interacted with mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids permitted?
Of the seven regulators this site reads, the EU, Great Britain and the Codex standard permit it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
Is Thermally oxidized soya bean oil interacted with mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids vegan?
It depends on the source, and a label will not tell you. Thermally oxidized soya bean oil interacted with mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids can be made from plant or animal material, manufacturers are not obliged to say which, and the same product can change between production runs. Anyone who needs to know has to ask the manufacturer.

Sources for this page

  • eu retrieved 2026-10-18
  • gb retrieved 2026-10-18
  • gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07
  • euspecs retrieved 2026-10-18
  • jecfaspecs retrieved 2026-09-23

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