Datem (Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono- and Diglycerides) is a chemical compound, an ester of diacetyl tartaric acid and fatty acid mono- and diglycerides. It is primarily produced from fatty acids and diacetyl tartaric acid.

The name describes the structure of the molecule.

• Diacetyl refers to the presence of two acetyl groups. Acetyl is a functional group derived from acetic acid.
• Tartaric Acid is an organic acid naturally found in many plants, especially grapes. It's often used in cooking and winemaking.
• Esters are compounds derived from the reaction between an acid and an alcohol. In this case, tartaric acid reacts with mono- and diglycerides to form esters.
• Mono- and Diglycerides are types of fats that contain one or two fatty acid molecules bound to glycerol, respectively.

Description of raw materials used in production.

• Fatty acids. These are primarily derived from plant or animal oils and fats through hydrolysis.
• Diacetyl tartaric acid. Produced from the reaction of tartaric acid with acetic anhydride.
• Mono- and diglycerides. These are produced from the reaction of fatty acids with glycerol.

Step-by-step summary of its industrial chemical synthesis process.

• Fatty acids are reacted with glycerol to produce mono- and diglycerides.
• The produced mono- and diglycerides are then esterified with diacetyl tartaric acid to form DATEM.
• The product is then purified, filtered, and subsequently packaged.

DATEM appears as a waxy or pasty substance that is light yellow in color.

What it is for and where

Food

DATEM is widely used in the food industry as an emulsifier. It finds application in baked goods, margarines, packaged bread, frozen dough, and many other food products where an emulsifier is required to improve texture and shelf life.

Bakery Industry. DATEM is used as an emulsifier to enhance dough strength and bread crumb structure.

Packaged Foods. It's used in many packaged products as a stabilizer and to improve texture.

Dairy Products. DATEM might be used in certain dairy items to improve consistency and stability.

Powdered Drinks. This additive might be employed in powdered beverages to ensure good mixing.

Egg-based Products. DATEM can help stabilize and enhance the texture of egg-based items.

Food Research. It's being investigated for potential new applications in the food industry and to better understand its properties.

Cosmetics

Skin conditioning agent - Emollient. Emollients have the characteristic of enhancing the skin barrier through a source of exogenous lipids that adhere to the skin, improving barrier properties by filling gaps in intercorneocyte clusters to improve hydration while protecting against inflammation. In practice, they have the ability to create a barrier that prevents transepidermal water loss.  Emollients are described as degreasing or refreshing additives that improve the lipid content of the upper layers of the skin by preventing degreasing and drying of the skin. The problem with emollients is that many have a strong lipophilic character and are identified as occlusive ingredients; they are oily and fatty materials that remain on the skin surface and reduce transepidermal water loss. In cosmetics, emollients and moisturisers are often considered synonymous with humectants and occlusives.

Surfactant - Emulsifying agent. Emulsions are thermodynamically unstable and are used to soothe or soften the skin and emulsify, so they need a specific, stabilising ingredient. This ingredient forms a film, lowers the surface tension and makes two immiscible liquids miscible. A very important factor affecting the stability of the emulsion is the amount of the emulsifying agent. Emulsifiers have the property of reducing the oil/water or water/oil interfacial tension, improving the stability of the emulsion and also directly influencing the stability, sensory properties and surface tension of sunscreens by modulating the filmometric performance.

Hair conditioning agent. A significant number of ingredients with specific and targeted purposes may co-exist in hair shampoo formulations: cleansers, conditioners, thickeners, matting agents, sequestering agents, fragrances, preservatives, special additives. However, the indispensable ingredients are the cleansers and conditioners as they are necessary and sufficient for hair cleansing and manageability. The others act as commercial and non-essential auxiliaries such as: appearance, fragrance, colouring, etc. Hair conditioning agents have the task of increasing shine, manageability and volume, and reducing static electricity, especially after treatments such as colouring, ironing, waving, drying and brushing. They are, in practice, dispersants that may contain cationic surfactants, thickeners, emollients, polymers. The typology of hair conditioning agents includes: intensive conditioners, instant conditioners, thickening conditioners, drying conditioners. They can perform their task generally accompanied by other different ingredients.

Skin conditioning agent. It is the mainstay of topical skin treatment as it has the function of restoring, increasing or improving skin tolerance to external factors, including melanocyte tolerance. The most important function of the conditioning agent is to prevent skin dehydration, but the subject is rather complex and involves emollients and humectants that can be added in the formulation.

Surfactant - Cleansing agent. Cosmetic products used to cleanse the skin utilise the surface-active action that produces a lowering of the surface tension of the stratum corneum, facilitating the removal of dirt and impurities.