SAIB Approved as Beverage Weighting Agent

As the result of a petition filed by Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, TN) 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.

SAIB is a distilled, highly-purified product and is odorless and flavorless at suggested usage levels. The ingredient increases the specific gravity of the flavoring oils used in citrus beverages, giving increased stability to the finished beverage. Without weighting agents or stabilizers, flavoring oils separate from other beverage components and rise to the surface.

SAIB metabolizes in the body to common food components. It has enjoyed 25 years of safe use outside the U.S.and has been used safely for more than twenty-five years. The weighting agent, produced under current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for foods, meets the specifications of the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives.