Polysorbate 80 is a nonionic surfactant and emulsifier often used in pharmaceuticals, foods, and cosmetics. This synthetic compound is a viscous,

water-soluble In chemistry, solubility is the ability of a substance, the solute, to form a solution with another substance, the solvent. Insolubility is the opposite property, the inability of the solute to form such a solution. The extent of the solub ...

yellow liquid.

Chemistry

Polysorbate 80 is derived from polyethoxylated

sorbitan Sorbitan is a mixture of isomeric organic compounds derived from the dehydration of sorbitol and is an intermediate in the conversion of sorbitol to isosorbide. Sorbitan is primarily used in the production of surfactants such as polysorbates; wh ...

and

oleic acid Oleic acid is a fatty acid that occurs naturally in various animal and vegetable fats and oils. It is an odorless, colorless oil, although commercial samples may be yellowish. In chemical terms, oleic acid is classified as a monounsaturated omeg ...

. The

hydrophilic A hydrophile is a molecule or other molecular entity that is attracted to water molecules and tends to be dissolved by water.Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon'' Oxford: Clarendon Press. In contrast, hydrophobes are ...

groups in this compound are poly

ether In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group—an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups. They have the general formula , where R and R′ represent the alkyl or aryl groups. Ethers can again be ...

s also known as polyoxyethylene groups, which are polymers of

ethylene oxide Ethylene oxide is an organic compound with the formula . It is a cyclic ether and the simplest epoxide: a three-membered ring consisting of one oxygen atom and two carbon atoms. Ethylene oxide is a colorless and flammable gas with a faintly sw ...

. In the nomenclature of polysorbates, the numeric designation following polysorbate refers to the

lipophilic Lipophilicity (from Greek λίπος "fat" and φίλος "friendly"), refers to the ability of a chemical compound to dissolve in fats, oils, lipids, and non-polar solvents such as hexane or toluene. Such non-polar solvents are themselves lipo ...

group, in this case, the oleic acid (see

polysorbate Polysorbates are a class of emulsifiers used in some pharmaceuticals and food preparation. They are commonly used in oral and topical pharmaceutical dosage forms. They are also often used in cosmetics to solubilize essential oils into water-base ...

for more detail). The full chemical names for polysorbate 80 are: *Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monooleate *(x)-sorbitan mono-9-octadecenoate poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl) The

critical micelle concentration In colloidal and surface chemistry, the critical micelle concentration (CMC) is defined as the concentration of surfactants above which micelles form and all additional surfactants added to the system will form micelles. The CMC is an important c ...

of polysorbate 80 in pure water is reported as 0.012 mM.

Other names

E number: E433 Brand names: *Kolliphor PS 80 - Kolliphor is a registered trademark of

BASF BASF SE () is a German multinational chemical company and the largest chemical producer in the world. Its headquarters is located in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The BASF Group comprises subsidiaries and joint ventures in more than 80 countries ...

*Alkest TW 80 *Scattics *Canarcel *Poegasorb 80 *Montanox 80 – Montanox is a registered trademark of Seppic *Tween 80 – Tween is a registered trademark of Croda Americas, Inc. *Kotilen-80 - Kotilen is a registered trademark of

Kolb AG Kolb may refer to: * Kolb (surname), a German surname * Kolb, Wisconsin, United States, an unincorporated community * Kolb Aircraft Company, an American aircraft manufacturer * Kolb Studio, a historic structure in Grand Canyon Village, Arizon ...

Uses

Food

Polysorbate 80 is used as an emulsifier in foods. For example, in ice cream, polysorbate is added up to 0.5% (v/v) concentration to make the ice cream smoother and easier to handle, as well as increasing its resistance to melting. Adding this substance prevents

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...

proteins from completely coating the

fat In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple est ...

droplets. This allows them to join in chains and nets, which hold air in the mixture, and provide a firmer texture that holds its shape as the ice cream melts.

Health and beauty

Polysorbate 80 is also used as a surfactant in soaps and cosmetics (including eyedrops), or a solubilizer, such as in a mouthwash. The cosmetic grade of polysorbate 80 may have more impurities than the food grade.

Medical

Polysorbate 80 is a surfactant and solubilizer used in a variety of oral and topical pharmaceutical products. Polysorbate 80 is an

excipient An excipient is a substance formulated alongside the active ingredient of a medication, included for the purpose of long-term stabilization, bulking up solid formulations that contain potent active ingredients in small amounts (thus often referred ...

that is used to stabilize aqueous formulations of medications for

parenteral A route of administration in pharmacology and toxicology is the way by which a drug, fluid, poison, or other substance is taken into the body. Routes of administration are generally classified by the location at which the substance is applied. ...

administration, and used as an emulsifier in the making of the antiarrhythmic

amiodarone Amiodarone is an antiarrhythmic medication used to treat and prevent a number of types of cardiac dysrhythmias. This includes ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF), and wide complex tachycardia, as well as atrial fibril ...

. It is also used as an excipient in some European and Canadian influenza vaccines.Pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) Influenza Vaccine Quick Reference Guide
''Winnipeg Regional Health Authority'' 2009 Influenza vaccines contain 2.5 μg of polysorbate 80 per dose. Polysorbate 80 is found in many vaccines used in the United States, including the

Janssen COVID-19 vaccine The Janssen COVID19 vaccine, sold under the brand name Jcovden, is a COVID19 vaccine that was developed by Janssen Vaccines in Leiden, Netherlands, and its Belgian parent company Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of American company John ...

. It is used in the culture of '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' in Middlebrook 7H9 broth. It is also used as an emulsifier in the estrogen-regulating drug Estrasorb.http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2003/21371_estrasorb_lbl.pdf Polysorbate 80 is also used in granulation for stabilization of drugs and excipients when

IPA IPA commonly refers to: * India pale ale, a style of beer * International Phonetic Alphabet, a system of phonetic notation * Isopropyl alcohol, a chemical compound IPA may also refer to: Organizations International * Insolvency Practitioners ...

binding.

Laboratory

Some mycobacteria contain a type of lipase (enzyme that breaks up

lipid Lipids are a broad group of naturally-occurring molecules which includes fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E and K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others. The functions of lipids includ ...

molecules); when these species are added to a mixture of polysorbate 80 and

phenol red Phenol red (also known as phenolsulfonphthalein or PSP) is a pH indicator frequently used in cell biology laboratories. Chemical structure and properties Phenol red exists as a red crystal that is stable in air. Its solubility is 0.77 grams per ...

, they cause the solution to change color, so this is used as a test to identify the

phenotype In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology or physical form and structure, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological pr ...

of a strain or isolate. On RODAC agar plates used in microbiological control, polysorbate 80 counteracts disinfectants often found on sampled surfaces, thereby allowing the microbes found on these surfaces to grow.

References

{{reflist, 2 . Non-ionic surfactants E-number additives Adjuvants