Sorbitan Monostearate in Baking Yeast
January 11, 2011, by Debra Lynn Dadd
Question from KCribley
Recently I discovered that the baking yeast I purchase (and most of them that I looked at) have Sorbitan Monostearate added.
I am a very frequent baker/breadmaker (almost every day) and wonder if I need to be concerned about this ingredient.
I did a bit of online research and saw the MSDS but wasn't sure what to take from it. Some sites say it's safe, others say it's toxic (in large quantities, I assume).
Your thoughts?
Thank you so much for your help!
Debra's Answer
I couldn't find any adverse effects.
November, 2020 Update: In 2017, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) re-evaluated this food additive and determined the acute toxicity of sorbitan esters to be very low.
These are archives of Q&A asked by readers and answered by Debra Lynn Dadd (from 2005-2019) or Lisa Powers (from 2019-2020). Answers have been edited and updated as of December, 2020.