DIETHANOLAMIDE CONDENSATE FROM STRIPPED COCONUT OIL FATTY ACIDS(C10-C18)

CAS: 977103-82-4 SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT

Diethanolamide condensate from stripped coconut oil fatty acids (C10-C18) is a surfactant listed in the FDA Substances Added to Food inventory used to describe a specific diethanolamide mixture permitted for use as an adjuvant for pesticide use dilutions under regulatory section 172.710.

What It Is

Diethanolamide condensate from stripped coconut oil fatty acids (C10-C18) is a technical surface-active agent characterized as a condensation product of diethanolamine with a range of fatty acids derived from stripped coconut oil (the C10-C18 fraction). This class of compounds consists of mixed diethanolamides where diethanolamine forms an amide bond with fatty acid chains of varying lengths between 10 and 18 carbon atoms. Chemically, this type of substance belongs to the broader group of alkanolamides, which function as nonionic surfactants and emulsifiers in a variety of industrial and formulation contexts. The name reflects both the origin of the fatty acid feedstock (coconut oil stripped to enrich the C10-C18 fraction) and the diethanolamide functional group that confers surface-active properties. In regulatory inventories, this material is represented by the specified CAS Number and is referenced as a specific example of a surfactant that may be safely used under defined conditions in pesticide adjuvant formulations. Relevant identifiers include the CAS 977103-82-4 and alternative descriptive terms that reference the coconut fatty acid diethanolamide condensate nature of the material. While not broadly encountered as a direct food additive in finished consumer foods, it is recorded in inventories such as the FDA’s Substances Added to Food database to document its permitted uses and status within specific regulatory categories.

How It Is Made

The manufacturing of diethanolamide condensates such as the stripped coconut oil-derived C10-C18 mixture proceeds through a well-understood chemical condensation reaction between a source of fatty acids and diethanolamine. In this process, the free fatty acids from a coconut oil fraction enriched for chain lengths between 10 and 18 carbons are reacted with diethanolamine in the presence of a catalyst, typically under heat, to drive the amidation forward and release water as a by-product. This type of amidation reaction is common in the synthesis of alkanolamides and is conducted at controlled temperatures to optimize conversion and minimise side products. Manufacturers adjust the molar ratios of fatty acids to diethanolamine and control reaction parameters such as temperature and catalyst load to tailor the quality and composition of the final surfactant mixture. After the reaction, the product is typically subjected to purification steps to reduce residual free amine, unreacted fatty acids, and other impurities, yielding a stable surface-active mixture suitable for formulation. The resulting material is a heterogeneous blend of diethanolamides reflecting the fatty acid distribution of the stripped coconut oil feedstock. Because the product is a mixture rather than a single defined molecule, its properties reflect the aggregate behavior of the blend, and manufacturers may characterise it using analytical methods such as chromatography to confirm composition within expected parameters. This production approach aligns with general industrial practices for creating nonionic surfactants used in a variety of sectors including industrial cleaning, detergent formulation, and adjuvants for agricultural applications.

Why It Is Used In Food

In regulatory frameworks, the record of diethanolamide condensate from stripped coconut oil fatty acids (C10-C18) as a listed substance relates to its role in specific technical contexts rather than as a direct ingredient in conventional food products. The FDA’s Substances Added to Food inventory and the corresponding food additive regulation section 172.710 include this ingredient primarily to document its permitted use as a surface-active agent in adjuvants for pesticide use dilutions. In this specialized use, the material functions to improve the performance of pesticide formulations applied to crops, aiding in the dispersion and emulsification of active components when diluted for agricultural application. The inclusion of such surfactants in pesticide adjuvants can influence spray characteristics, improve wetting of plant surfaces, and support the efficacy of the active pesticide agent. Because pesticide use dilutions may come into contact with food crops prior to harvest, specific regulatory sections list permitted surfactants that growers and applicators may include in mixtures applied to crops to ensure that residues, if present, remain within acceptable safety parameters under good agricultural practice. As a result, the primary record of use in the context of food relates to its regulatory status rather than its intentional addition to food formulations for consumer consumption. This distinction is important for understanding the context in which a surface-active agent like this is relevant to food regulation: it is not used for flavor, nutrition, or textural modification in food products but is recognised in inventories because of its permitted use in crop protection and allied applications that are upstream of food production.

Adi Example Calculation

Because diethanolamide condensate from stripped coconut oil fatty acids (C10-C18) does not have an established acceptable daily intake (ADI) in authoritative food additive references, illustrative calculations of dietary exposure relative to an ADI are not applicable. An ADI calculation typically requires a numeric reference value that regulators have determined based on toxicological studies and safety factors. Without such a reference value, it is not possible to illustrate a meaningful calculation of daily intake relative to an ADI for this ingredient. This absence of an ADI should be understood in the context of the ingredient’s specialised regulatory role as a surface-active agent permitted in specific formulation contexts such as pesticide adjuvants, rather than as a substance added directly to consumer foods where dietary exposure assessment and ADI calculation would be necessary. In cases where ADIs exist for other food additives, a hypothetical example might show how to translate a body weight-based limit into an allowable daily intake for an individual of a given weight, but that framework does not apply here because a numeric ADI has not been defined in the primary regulatory sources for this compound. As a result, readers should focus on understanding that regulatory listings document permitted use cases rather than specifying lifetime intake limits for dietary exposure.

Safety And Health Research

When assessing surface-active agents such as diethanolamide condensates derived from fatty acid feedstocks, regulatory bodies and scientific panels evaluate data related to general chemical hazard endpoints rather than direct nutritional or metabolic effects. The safety assessment of surfactants focuses on toxicological studies that examine systemic toxicity, potential irritation, sensitisation, and other endpoints relevant to human exposure under specific use conditions. For the stripped coconut oil fatty acid C10-C18 diethanolamide condensate, the available regulatory documentation notes that it is not associated with specific flavour or fragrance use and that toxicity data such as dermal or inhalation toxicity are often not determined in the context of its listing in regulatory inventories. Practical safety evaluations for related compounds historically include investigations of irritation and systemic toxicity in animal models, but surface-active agents are generally dosed in contexts where occupational and consumer exposures are minimised by formulation controls and good manufacturing practice. In agricultural settings, the primary safety considerations revolve around ensuring that residues in or on food crops remain within acceptable limits and that applicators are protected from undue exposure during handling and application. Broader hazard profiles for diethanolamide-type surfactants have been studied in other contexts, with attention to potential sensitisation or irritation for workers or consumers encountering the material in formulated products. It is important to note that the specific stripped coconut oil fatty acid C10-C18 diethanolamide condensate does not have a wide body of public health research focused on direct dietary exposure because its use profile does not centre on direct addition to consumer food products. Rather, safety frameworks emphasise evaluation of potential hazards in the relevant use cases documented in regulatory listings, and the absence of direct food additive use means that traditional food safety endpoints such as chronic dietary exposure are not central to its evaluation in regulatory texts.

Regulatory Status Worldwide

The regulatory status of diethanolamide condensate from stripped coconut oil fatty acids (C10-C18) is defined within specific frameworks that document its permitted functional uses and the conditions under which it may be included in certain mixtures. In the United States, this material is listed in the FDA’s Substances Added to Food inventory and referenced in food additive regulation section 172.710, which covers adjuvants for pesticide use dilutions. Section 172.710 enumerates a set of surfactants and related agents that may be safely added to pesticide use dilutions by growers or applicators prior to application on crops, including diethanolamide condensates based on stripped coconut fatty acids as surfactants in emulsifier blends. The presence of this ingredient in section 172.710 means that it has been identified in regulatory language that describes permissible surface-active agents in this narrow use category, though this does not equate to an open-ended approval for use in all food products. Elsewhere, authoritative lists such as the FDA inventory serve as a reference indicating that the ingredient is recognised within regulatory systems rather than providing a broad designation of direct food additive status. Comparable listings in other jurisdictions, if any, would be found in national or regional inventories of allowed pesticide adjuvants or formulation aids, but specific authorisations beyond the United States context would require review of the corresponding regulatory texts. Because this material’s documented use pertains to technical adjuvants and formulations rather than consumer food ingredients, general food additive regulations in jurisdictions such as the European Union or other markets do not routinely list it for direct addition to food products. As a result, its regulatory footprint reflects its specialised role in agricultural and industrial applications rather than widespread acceptance as a multifunctional food ingredient.

Taste And Functional Properties

Because diethanolamide condensates such as the stripped coconut oil C10-C18 mixture are technical surfactants, they do not contribute taste or flavor in the way that ingredients like sweeteners or spices do. Their primary functional behavior is related to surface activity: they reduce surface tension between liquid phases, support emulsification of immiscible liquids, and can stabilise dispersions of one phase within another. In formulation contexts, surface-active agents influence properties such as wetting, foaming, and emulsion stability rather than sensory attributes. As nonionic surfactants, these compounds are generally compatible with a wide range of formulation chemistries and can function across different pH ranges and solvent systems, though the precise stability and effectiveness may vary with the specific formulation matrix. Their molecular structure, with a hydrophobic fatty acid-derived tail and a hydrophilic diethanolamide head, enables interaction with both water and oil phases, facilitating the mixing and breaking apart of droplets that would otherwise separate. In applications such as agricultural adjuvants, this can mean improved dispersion of active ingredients in water-based sprays, more uniform coverage of plant surfaces, and enhanced performance of the product under field conditions. While these technical properties are crucial for function in formulation, they do not translate into sensory effects in food products because the material is not present at levels intended for flavor or mouthfeel and is not used for such purposes.

Acceptable Daily Intake Explained

The concept of an acceptable daily intake (ADI) is commonly applied by regulatory authorities to food additives that are directly added to food products and consumed by the general population as part of the diet. An ADI represents an estimate of the amount of a substance that can be ingested daily over a lifetime without appreciable health risk, based on toxicological data and applying safety factors. In the case of technical surface-active agents such as the stripped coconut oil fatty acid C10-C18 diethanolamide condensate, an ADI is not established in the authoritative food additive texts because the material is not used directly in food products intended for regular consumption. Instead, its regulatory listing in section 172.710 pertains to its permitted use in adjuvant formulations for pesticide use dilutions. Because the pathways for potential human exposure are very different from those associated with direct food additives, regulatory discussion does not centre on deriving an ADI for daily dietary intake. Rather, the safety evaluation focuses on ensuring that its use in agricultural contexts does not lead to unacceptable residues entering the food supply and that handling and formulation practice minimises occupational exposure. For readers seeking to understand ADIs in general, it is helpful to know that such values are numeric estimates derived by experts who review animal and human data and apply conservative factors to account for uncertainty. These values are specific to compounds with direct food use, and the absence of an ADI for a technical surfactant in regulatory texts reflects its distinct use context rather than a judgement about inherent harm.

Comparison With Similar Additives

Surface-active agents encompass a broad class of compounds that facilitate interactions between liquids of differing polarities or between liquids and solids. Within this class, diethanolamide condensates such as those derived from stripped coconut oil fatty acids share functional similarities with other nonionic surfactants, but each has its own profile of properties and applications. For example, ethoxylated alcohols are another group of nonionic surfactants that differ structurally from diethanolamides by virtue of polyoxyethylene chains attached to hydrophobic alcohol backbones; these compounds are widely used in detergents and industrial cleaners where high solubility and low foaming are valued. In contrast, diethanolamide surfactants often provide moderate foaming and emulsion stabilization, making them useful in formulations such as agricultural adjuvants and some household cleaners. Another related class is the alkanol sulfate surfactants, which are anionic rather than nonionic; these are extensively used in consumer products such as shampoos and body washes where strong cleaning action is required. Compared to anionic surfactants, nonionic diethanolamides are generally less sensitive to hard water ions and can offer milder performance in certain applications. While all these surfactants share the overarching function of modifying interfacial properties, the specific choice in a formulation depends on factors such as desired foaming, compatibility with other ingredients, pH stability, and the regulatory context of use. This comparison highlights that diethanolamide condensates occupy a niche within the larger family of surfactants, with characteristics shaped by their chemical structure and typical use cases rather than broad direct food additive roles.

Common Food Applications Narrative

In practical terms, diethanolamide condensates derived from coconut oil fatty acids such as the C10-C18 fraction are not ingredients that consumers will typically recognise on food labels of everyday products. Instead, the contexts in which this surface-active agent intersects with food regulation are specialised and relate to upstream aspects of food production and agricultural practice. Specifically, regulatory inventories maintained by food safety authorities in the United States include this ingredient under categories that describe surfactants permitted for use in pesticide adjuvant formulations. Growers and agricultural applicators may encounter this class of surfactant when preparing pesticide use dilutions that assist in the delivery and performance of herbicides or other crop protection products on fruits, vegetables, and grain crops. In that setting, the functional contribution of the surfactant supports the active ingredient in adhering to plant surfaces and achieving the desired agronomic effect. While this use is technically adjacent to food production, it does not equate to the ingredient being added directly to consumer food products for modification of taste, texture, or nutritional profile. For most consumers interested in food product labels, the names of culinary ingredients, nutrients, or processing aids will predominate, and the specialised surface-active agents used in agricultural and industrial settings remain behind the scenes. Nonetheless, the inclusion of this ingredient in regulatory inventories signals to manufacturers, formulators, and compliance professionals that it has been evaluated within specific use contexts and that its presence in approved regulatory listings applies to targeted functional roles rather than general food formulation.

Safety & Regulations

FDA

  • Notes: The ingredient is listed in FDA regulation 21 CFR 172.710 for specific use as a surfactant in pesticide use dilutions; direct approval for general food use is not established in available sources.
  • Regulation: 21 CFR 172.710

EFSA

  • Notes: No EFSA food additive number or ADI was identified for direct food use in authoritative sources.

JECFA

  • Notes: No JECFA evaluation for direct food additive use was identified in authoritative sources.

Sources

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to share!