COMMISSION REGUL ATION (EU) 2018/1462 
of 28 September 2018 
amending the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 laying down specif ications for food additiv es 
listed in Annex es II and III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of 
the Council as regards specif ications for certain sorbita n ester s (E 491 Sorbitan monost earate, 
E 492 Sorbit an tristearate and E 495 Sorbit an monopalmit ate) 
(Text with EEA relevance) 
THE EUR OPEAN COMMISSION, 
Having regar d to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, 
Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 
on food additives (1), and in particular Article 14 thereof, 
Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1331/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 
establishing a common author isation procedure for food additives, food enzymes and food flavourings (2), and in 
particular Article 7(5) thereof, 
Whereas: 
(1)  Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 (3) lays down specifications for food additives listed in Annexes II 
and III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008. 
(2)  Those specif ications may be updat ed in accordance with the common procedure referred to in Article 3(1) of 
Regulation (EC) No 1331/2008, either on the initiative of the Commission or following an application. 
(3)  On 14 October 2014 an application was submitted for the amendment of specifications concer ning the food 
additives sorbitan monost earate (E 491), sorbitan tristearate (E 492) and sorbitan monopalmitat e (E 495). The 
application was made available to the Member States pursuant to Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1331/2008. 
(4)  The current Union specifi cations lay down a range of congealing temperatures (an identif ication parameter) for 
sorbitan monost earate (E 491), sorbitan tristearate (E 492) and sorbitan monopalmitate (E 495). 
(5)  The applicant requests that the reference to the congealing rang e as an identif ication method of sorbitan 
monost earate (E 491), sorbitan tristearat e (E 492) and sorbitan monopalmitat e (E 495) in the Union specifi cations 
be removed as it is not an optimal method for identification due to a lack of a clear and common methodology . 
(6)  In its opinion of 5 May 2017 (4) the European Food Safe ty Auth ority (‘the Auth ority’) concluded that the 
amendment to the specifi cations as regards the removal of the parameter ‘congealing range’ for identification of 
sorbitan monost earate (E 491), sorbitan tristearate (E 492) and sorbitan monopalmitate (E 495) as proposed by 
the applicant would not give rise to a safety concer n. 
(7)  The Author ity also concluded that the removal of the cong ealing range from the Union specif ications would 
result in less charact erisation of the various sorbitan esters of saturated fatty acids, and that this identif ication 
paramete r could be replaced by another one. The Author ity noted that out of all analytical methods available, gas 
chromat ography analysis appears to deliver the most accurate and reliable results and is fit for purposes of food 
controls. 
(8)  Consequently , it is appropr iate to amend the Union specifications rega rding the remo val of the ‘cong ealing range’ 
as an identif ication parameter for the food additives sorbitan monostearat e (E 491), sorbitan tristearate (E 492) 
and sorbitan monopalmitat e (E 495) and to replace it by ‘Identifi cation test — by acid value, iodine value, gas 
chromat ography’ . 1.10.2018 L 245/6 Official Jour nal of the European Union EN     
(1)OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 16. 
(2)OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 1. 
(3)Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 of 9 March 2012 laying down specifications for food additives listed in Annexes II and III to 
Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 83, 22.3.2012, p. 1). 
(4)EFSA ANS Panel (EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutr ient Sources added to food), 2017. Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of 
sorbitan monostearat e (E 491), sorbitan tristearat e (E 492), sorbitan monolaurate (E 493), sorbitan monooleate (E 494) and sorbitan 
monopalmitat e (E 495) when used as food additives. EFSA Jour nal 2017;15(5):4788, 56 pp. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2017.4788. (9)  The Annex to Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 should theref ore be amended according ly. 
(10)  The measures provi ded for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on 
Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGUL ATION: 
Article 1 
The Annex to Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation. 
Article 2 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day followi ng that of its publication in the Official Journal of the 
European Union. 
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member State s. 
Done at Brussels, 28 September 2018. 
For the Commission 
The President 
Jean-Claude JUNCK ER  1.10.2018 L 245/7 Official Jour nal of the European Union EN     ANNEX 
The Annex to Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 is amended as follows :  
(1) In the entr y for the food additive E 491 Sorbitan monost earate, the specifi cation as regar ds ‘congealing range’ is 
replaced by the followi ng: 
‘Identifi cation test by acid value, iodine value (not more than 4), gas chromat ography ’   
(2) In the entr y for the food additive E 492 Sorbitan tristearat e, the specifi cation as regar ds ‘congealing range’ is 
replaced by the followi ng: 
‘Identifi cation test by acid value, iodine value (not more than 4), gas chromat ography ’   
(3) In the entr y for the food additive E 495 Sorbitan monopalmitate , the specifi cation as regar ds ‘congealing rang e’ is 
replaced by the followi ng: 
‘Identifi cation test by acid value, iodine value (not more than 4), gas chromat ography ’   1.10.2018 L 245/8 Official Jour nal of the European Union EN