E-numbers / Thickeners & emulsifiers / E484
A fatty ester of citric acid used as an emulsifier and antioxidant synergist, not currently permitted as a food additive in the UK or EU.
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E484 is not authorised in the UK or EU.
Why it’s worth knowing. E484 is not authorised in the UK or EU. If you see it on a label, the product may be imported from a jurisdiction where it remains permitted, such as the United States.
Stearyl citrate is an ester formed by reacting stearyl alcohol (a long-chain fatty alcohol derived from animal fat or plant oils) with citric acid. It is a white or off-white waxy solid at room temperature. It functions as an emulsifier, antioxidant synergist, and sequestrant, meaning it can bind trace metals that would otherwise accelerate fat oxidation and rancidity.
In fats and oils, stearyl citrate works by chelating (binding) pro-oxidant metal ions such as iron and copper that catalyse the breakdown of fats into rancid off-flavours. This extends the shelf life of fat-based foods. As an emulsifier it also helps blend oil and water phases in products such as margarines. In some formulations it is paired with other antioxidants, enhancing their effect.
Historically used in vegetable shortening, margarine, cooking oils, and fat-containing baked goods in jurisdictions that permit it. In the United States, the FDA classifies it as generally recognised as safe for use in fats and oils, and it appears in some imported margarines and vegetable-fat products. On a UK or EU label it would appear as 'stearyl citrate' or 'E484', but it is not authorised for use in UK or EU food products.
Stearyl citrate held E-number status under earlier European food additive frameworks but was not carried forward when the EU consolidated its approved additives list under Regulation 1333/2008. It does not appear in the UK FSA approved-additives list, which mirrors the assimilated EU list. Its absence means any food product manufactured and sold in the UK or EU cannot legally contain it.
E484 does not appear in the UK FSA approved additives list. The numbering sequence in the emulsifiers section moves from E483 to E491, with E484 absent.
Stearyl citrate is not listed in Annex II of EU Regulation 1333/2008, which consolidates all permitted food additives for the EU. An additive not listed is not permitted.
Outside the UK and EU, regulatory status varies. The US FDA lists stearyl citrate as GRAS (generally recognised as safe) for use in fats and oils at levels consistent with good manufacturing practice. It is not permitted in Australia and New Zealand under their food standards code. This patchwork of decisions reflects differences in how regulators evaluated older additive dossiers rather than any single scientific finding about harm.
The US FDA includes stearyl citrate on its GRAS list for use as a sequestrant in fats and oils.
Stearyl citrate is not listed as a permitted food additive under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
Because stearyl citrate was not carried into the current EU permitted list, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) did not include it in the systematic re-evaluation programme that covered all approved E numbers from 2010 onwards. There is therefore no recent EFSA opinion on stearyl citrate. The available safety data are older industry and toxicological studies submitted before the 2008 consolidation. No specific human harm signal has been identified in the published literature, but the regulatory decision to exclude it means the current framework does not consider it assessed to modern standards for EU use.
EFSA's re-evaluation programme covers only additives that appear in Annex II of Regulation 1333/2008. Stearyl citrate is excluded from that programme because it is not on the permitted list.
Because E484 is not permitted in UK or EU food products, encountering it on a label in the UK is a signal the product may be imported or mislabelled. Anyone wishing to avoid unapproved additives should look for 'stearyl citrate' or 'E484' in the ingredients list of imported fat-based products, particularly those from the United States.
There is no published human health signal that drove the removal of stearyl citrate from the EU and UK permitted lists. The exclusion reflects a regulatory consolidation process, not a toxicological finding. However, because it has not been assessed under the current EFSA framework, there is no modern independent evaluation confirming it meets today's standards. The US GRAS determination is the most recent formal review, and it dates from an older review process. The honest position is that the data gap is regulatory, not clinical.
E484 is not on the UK FSA approved additives list and is therefore not authorised for use in food sold in the UK. It was not carried forward into the current EU-derived permitted list. It is not a formal prohibition with a stated safety reason, but its absence from the list means it cannot legally be used in UK food products.
When the EU consolidated its food additives framework under Regulation 1333/2008, not every additive previously used under older national schemes was re-authorised. Stearyl citrate was not included. The US FDA reached a GRAS determination under its own older review process. The two systems used different evidence standards and timelines, which produced different outcomes without necessarily reflecting a finding of harm.
In countries where it is permitted, such as the United States, stearyl citrate appears in vegetable shortenings, margarines, cooking oils, and some fat-based baked goods. UK and EU manufactured products cannot legally contain it. It may appear in imported fat-based products from the US.
Stearyl citrate is derived from stearyl alcohol, which can be sourced from either animal fats (tallow) or plant oils. The source is not specified by the E-number alone. Products using a plant-derived source may be vegan, but this cannot be assumed without checking with the manufacturer.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
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