STUDIES ON METABOLISM OF SUCROSE ACETATE ISOBUTYRATE IN RAT AND IN MAN

In vitro studies with rat tissues showed that SAIB [sucrose acetate isobutyrate] was substantially hydrolyzed by non-specific esterases associated with the intestinal mucosa; little hydrolysis occurred in the stomach and liver. In the intact animal, orally administered [14C]SAIB was hydrolyzed in the gastro-intestinal tract prior to absorption, and the subsequent fate of administered radioactivity was analogous to that of [14C]sucrose. Human studies showed that, following a single oral dose or 7 daily doses of 1 g SAIB, the urine contained no sucrose or partially hydrolyzed SAIB. Microflora associated with the large bowel exhibited a limited capacity to hydrolyzed SAIB. The use of SAIB as a food additive is unlikely to constitute a toxicological problem with respect to its metabolic fate in man.