Polysorbate

Noun

1. (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