DK Ester® Sucrose Esters – – – PROPERTIES

DK Ester sucrose fatty acid esters are nonionic, surface active agents manufactured from purified sugar and vegetable oils. DK Ester consists of sucrose residues as the hydrophilic group and fatty acid residues as the lipophilic group. Sucrose has eight hydroxyl groups in the hydrophilic groups, so it is possible to manufacture a full range of products from a low HLB value (1) to a high HLB value (16) by controlling the degree of esterfication.

DK Esters are tasteless, odorless, non-toxic additives. They are non-irritative, mild to the skin and have application in food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

The following features make DK Esters especially useful in the production of dairy products and baked goods:

Emulsifying properties (O/W and W/O depending on grade of DK Ester)
Inhibiting fat crystallization
Inhibiting retrogradation of starch
Solubilizing
Foaming enhancement
Releasing agent for molds
Reducing flat-sour spoilage
The current FDA approved applications for DK Esters, (sucrose fatty acid esters) are:

As emulsifiers and stabilizers in baked goods and baking mixes; in chewing gum; in coffee and tea beverages with added dairy ingredients and/or dairy product analogues; in confections and frostings; in frozen dairy desserts and mixes and in whipped milk products.

As texturizers in biscuit mixes; in chewing gum; in confections and frostings and in surimi-based fabricated seafood products.

DK Esters, (sucrose fatty acid esters) are also approved as components of protective coatings applied to some fresh fruits. The F-50 and higher HLB materials have FDA approval for use in the above applications.

DK Ester is a trademark of Dai-Ichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd. of Japan