E-numbers / Thickeners & emulsifiers / E482
also: CSL
An emulsifier made from stearic acid and lactic acid, used to keep baked goods soft and bread doughs workable. Found in bread, cakes and cream-filled products.
Scan a barcode to check a food for calcium stearoyl lactylate. NutraSafe Pro · £3.99/month · iOS
High estimated intakes in toddlers and young children may exceed the acceptable daily intake set by EFSA, according to the authority's own 2013 exposure assessment.
14
of the 43,325 UK supermarket foods we checked declare E482 in their ingredients
That is under 0.1%, counted by its code or its name.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
Why it’s worth knowing. High estimated intakes in toddlers and young children may exceed the acceptable daily intake set by EFSA, according to the authority's own 2013 exposure assessment.
Calcium stearoyl lactylate (CSL) is the calcium salt of stearoyl-2-lactic acid. It is made by reacting stearic acid (a naturally occurring fatty acid found in animal and vegetable fats) with lactic acid. The result is a white to off-white powder or brittle solid used as an emulsifier and dough conditioner.
CSL strengthens gluten networks in bread dough, improving gas retention so bread rises better and stays soft longer. It also acts as an emulsifier, helping fats and water mix evenly in cake batters and cream fillings. In bread specifically it interacts with starch to slow staling, extending shelf life.
Most commonly found in sliced and wrapped bread, rolls, crumpets, waffles, cakes, biscuits, coffee creamers, and cream-filled snacks. Also used in some breakfast cereals and flour tortillas. On a UK ingredient label it will appear as 'calcium stearoyl lactylate', 'calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate', or 'E482'.
EFSA's 2013 re-evaluation found that the acceptable daily intake of 20mg per kilogram of bodyweight per day, set by JECFA in 1974 and endorsed by the Scientific Committee on Food, could be approached or exceeded by toddlers and children who consume large amounts of bread and baked goods at the high end of the dietary range. The concern is not a direct toxicological finding in children but an exposure arithmetic problem: small body weight combined with high per-kilo food intake and the widespread use of E482 in everyday bakery products can push estimated intakes above the benchmark. EFSA concluded that this warranted attention but did not trigger a ban or restriction.
High-level dietary exposure estimates for toddlers and children could exceed the ADI of 20mg/kg bodyweight/day for combined E481 and E482 intake.
EFSA's 2013 statement on exposure found that toddler high-level estimates could breach the benchmark when all permitted uses of stearoyl lactylates were combined.
In the gut, CSL is hydrolysed to stearic acid, lactic acid and calcium, all of which are ordinary dietary components. Stearic acid is a saturated fat present in meat, dairy and cocoa. Lactic acid is produced naturally during fermentation and by the body itself. The metabolic pathway is well characterised and the breakdown products do not accumulate.
Stearoyl lactylates are rapidly hydrolysed in the gastrointestinal tract to stearic acid and lactic acid, both of which are normal dietary constituents and metabolites.
A small number of in vitro and animal studies have examined whether emulsifiers in the stearoyl lactylate family affect gut bacteria composition. Evidence at this stage is limited to laboratory and animal models and is not directly generalisable to human dietary exposure. The question remains open and under-studied for E482 specifically.
Some emulsifiers have been shown to alter gut microbiota composition and increase intestinal permeability in animal models, though direct evidence for CSL (E482) at food-use doses is limited.
No specific group is legally required to avoid it, and it carries no mandatory allergen declaration under UK food law. The stearic acid component is animal-derived in some production routes, making it potentially non-vegan and non-vegetarian depending on source; vegans and vegetarians should look for 'E482' or 'calcium stearoyl lactylate' on labels and contact manufacturers to confirm the fat source. Parents of young children who eat large amounts of processed bakery products regularly may wish to be aware of the cumulative exposure flag EFSA raised in 2013.
E482 is one of the most established bread emulsifiers in food manufacturing, used for decades in UK bakeries. The chemistry is routine: it breaks down in the gut to ordinary fatty and lactic acids. The one live issue is not a toxicological surprise but a numbers problem uncovered in EFSA's 2013 review, where high-end dietary estimates for toddlers and young children came close to or exceeded the daily benchmark when combined intakes of E481 and E482 were totalled. EFSA did not recommend a ban, and the 2013 opinion noted that the estimates were conservative and likely overstated real intake. The science is not alarming, but it is not fully closed either: the gut microbiome question that has attached to emulsifiers as a class since around 2015 has not been comprehensively studied for E482 specifically. The vegan status question depends on the fat source used in manufacture and varies by supplier.
No. E482 is approved in the UK and the EU under assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008. It appears on the UK FSA's approved-additives list and is in widespread commercial use in bread and bakery products.
EFSA's 2013 re-evaluation flagged that high-level dietary exposure estimates for toddlers and young children could exceed the benchmark daily intake of 20mg per kilogram of bodyweight, particularly when diets are heavy in processed bread and baked goods containing both E481 and E482. EFSA noted this without recommending a restriction, and the exposure estimates were described as conservative. No regulatory change followed.
Sliced and wrapped bread, rolls, crumpets, waffles, soft cakes, biscuits, coffee creamers and cream-filled snack products are the most common sources in the UK. Check the ingredient list for 'E482' or 'calcium stearoyl lactylate'.
Not always. The stearic acid used to make E482 can come from animal fats (such as tallow) or from plant oils (such as palm). The finished additive itself does not disclose the fat source. Vegans and vegetarians need to contact the manufacturer of the specific product to find out which source is used.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
It's the only app that does thisUKJaneK
You Need This AppGmac2005
Best AppGK getting skinny UK App Store reviews
NutraSafe reads the label and puts every additive into plain English, with the source, right in the app.
NutraSafe Pro · £3.99/month · iOS
