My diet:

Interesterified fat

No E-numberFats & oilsOrigin: Plant
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Every diet

VeganYes

Commercial interesterified fats on packaged-food labels start from vegetable oils.

Gluten-freeYes
HalalYes
KosherYes
KetoYes

Interesterified fat is still a fat.

Low-FODMAPYes
The short answer
Interesterified fat is a rearranged plant fat that keeps margarine and cookies solid without partial hydrogenation. It is vegan when the starting oils are plants. The health record is thinner than the record for olive oil or butter.
Use in moderation

Safe in small amounts; may bother some people or raise blood sugar.

E-numberNone
Comes fromPlant
What it doesFats & oils
Glycemic index—
Daily limitNot set
Also calledInteresterified fat, Interesterified oil

Rules by country

🇺🇸 US FDANot evaluated as an additive
🇪🇺 European UnionNot evaluated as an additive
🇨🇦 Health CanadaNot evaluated as an additive
CaliforniaNo extra rules

Interesterified fat is a processing method, not an E-number. It became common after industrial trans fat left shortenings. The catalyst is washed out of the finished fat. Human studies on blood lipids and blood sugar are still fewer than the studies on trans fat.

Daily limit: Experts haven’t set a number because normal food amounts are far below any level of concern.

What is it?

A typical blend starts with a liquid oil plus a fully hydrogenated oil. The process swaps fatty acids between those triglycerides until the mixture melts where the baker needs it. Enzymatic lines use a lipase instead of a chemical catalyst.

Where it comes from: Interesterification rearranges the fatty acids on the glycerol backbone of a fat. Chemists use a catalyst such as sodium methoxide, or an enzyme, so a blend of liquid oil and hard fat takes on a new melting point. The fatty acids themselves are not hydrogenated by this step.

Why it’s in food

  • Sets margarine
  • Firms a cookie filling
  • Builds a trans-free shortening
  • Adjusts a melt

Often found in

MargarinePastryNon-dairy creamerCookiesPie crustsFrosting

Also listed as: Interesterified fat, Interesterified oil, Interesterified soybean oil, Interesterified vegetable oil

Health & gut impact

A younger evidence baseUnder study

Interesterified fats replaced trans fat quickly. Trials of their effect on cholesterol and glucose are smaller and less consistent than the trials that condemned industrial trans fat.

Reviews of interesterified fats after the trans-fat phase-out

The catalyst is not the ingredientBenefit

Sodium methoxide is a processing aid. It is neutralized and washed away. The ingredient that remains is the rearranged fat.

Chemical interesterification of edible oils

What can I use instead?

Cocoa butter

Ratio: A hard fat that needs no rearrangement

Best for: Chocolate

Palm oil

Ratio: A naturally semi-solid plant fat

Best for: Bakery shortenings

Related

More fats & oils:

Beef tallowBeef tallow is cattle fat. It is not vegan. It is gluten-free and used for high-heat frying. Halal and kosher versions exist only when the animal and the plant are certified.Use in moderationButterButter is a dairy fat. It is not vegan. It is gluten-free, and a normal pat is low enough in lactose that many low-FODMAP plans allow it. Peanut butter and cocoa butter are not this food.Use in moderationCanola oilCanola oil is a neutral cooking oil from low-erucic rapeseed. Canola oil is vegan and gluten-free. The old worry about erucic acid applies to industrial rapeseed, not to the canola sold as food.Generally safeCocoa butterCocoa butter is the vegan fat of the cocoa bean. It is what makes chocolate snap and then melt. It is gluten-free and keto-friendly, and it is not a dairy butter.Generally safe

Common questions

Is interesterified fat a trans fat?

No. The process moves fatty acids around. It does not create the trans double bonds that partial hydrogenation does.

Why did this fat show up in recipes?

Bakers still wanted a solid fat after partially hydrogenated oil left the formula. Interesterification is one way to get that texture.

Is Interesterified fat safe?

Use in moderation (60/100). Interesterified fat is a processing method, not an E-number. It became common after industrial trans fat left shortenings. The catalyst is washed out of the finished fat. Human studies on blood lipids and blood sugar are still fewer than the studies on trans fat.

Is Interesterified fat vegan?

Yes. Commercial interesterified fats on packaged-food labels start from vegetable oils.

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Scientific sources & regulatory citations
  • Reviews of interesterified fats after the trans-fat phase-out
  • Chemical interesterification of edible oils