| Description | Tween 80, commonly known as polysorbate 80, is a synthetic compound that is widely applied in a variety of fields, including foods, medicines, and cosmetics. In food production, it is commonly used as a defoamer for the fermenting process of some wines and as a emulsifier in ice-cream or “puddings” to keep the creamy texture without separating. Tween 80 is also extensively applied in pharmaceutical industry, where it can be found in some vaccines, vitamins and supplements. It is an effective excipient to stabilize aqueous formulations of medications for parenteral administration and to improve the consistency of gel capsules, thus to make pills disperse in the stomach. Besides, it commonly serve as a surfactant and solubilizer in the production of soaps and cosmetics, which is effective to help dissolve ingredients and make products look creamier and more attractive. In laboratory, it is occasionally used for a test to identify the phenotype of a strain or isolate, such as mycobacteria. |
| Chemical Properties | TWEEN 80 is a polyethylene sorbitol ester, with a calculated molecular weight of 1,310 daltons, assuming 20 ethylene oxide units, sorbitol, and 1 oleic acid as the primary fatty acid.
Tweens are a series of nonionic surfactants derived from sorbitan esters. They are soluble or dispersible in water but differ widely in organic and oil solubilities. TWEEN 80 has been widely used in biochemical applications including: solubilizing proteins, isolating nuclei from cells in culture,5 growing of tubercule bacilli,6 and emulsifying and dispersing substances in medicinal and food products. It has little or no activity as an anti-bacterial agent1 except it has been shown to have an adverse effect on the antibacterial effect of methyl paraben and related compounds. Polysorbates have been reported to be incompatible with alkalis, heavy metal salts, phenols, and tannic acid. They may reduce the activity of many preservatives. |
| References | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polysorbate_80
http://thegoodhuman.com/what-is-polysorbate-80/
http://www.crodahealthcare.com/home.aspx?s=149&r=344&p=2259
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/443315#section=Top |
| Characteristics | Tween 80, commercially known as Polysorbate-80, is a viscous, water-soluble Yellow to amber liquid derived from polyethoxylated sorbitan and oleic acid. Tween 80 is structurally similar to the (polyethylene) glycols and used both in injections (0.8-8.0%) and in oral suspension (0.375% w/v). A number of anticancer drugs can be formulated by Tween 80. Typical examples include etoposide and minor groove-binding cyclopropylpyrroloindole analogues like carzelesin. |
| Chemical Properties | Tween 80 has a faint, characteristic odor and a warm, somewhat bitter taste. It is a mixture of oleate partial esters of sorbitol and sorbitol anhydrides condensed with approximately 20 mole of ethylene oxide (C2H4O) for each mole of sorbitol and its mono- and dianhydrides. |
| Uses | Tween 80 is a general purpose mid-range HLB, ethoxylated, nonionic surfactant suggested for use in textile chemicals (emulsifier, lubricant), household products and cosmetic formulations (o/w emulsifier, viscosity modifier). |
| Uses | Tween 80 is used as an antistat for PVC and as an antifog for PP, PE, PVC, PS. |
| Uses | Tween 80 is used as an emulsifier (ice cream, whipped topping) and as a solubilizing and dispersing agent in pickles and special vitamin-mineral preparations. |
| Uses | Tween 80 is the trade name of a detergent that can be useful in identifying mycobacteria that possess a lipase that splits the compound into oleic acid and polyoxyethylated sorbitol.
Tween 80 is used as an additive for cell culture media. It has numerous effects, e.g. increasing the transformation frequency of Brevibacterium lactofermentum or enhancing the secretion of acid and alkaline phosphatase by Neurospora crassa. |
| Definition | ChEBI: A polymer composed of PEG-ylated sorbitan, where the total number of poly(ethylene glycol) units is 20 (w + x + y + z = 20) and a single terminal is capped by an oleoyl group. |
| Brand name | Sorlate (Abbott); Tween 80 (ICI Americas). |
| General Description | Amber-colored viscous liquid. pH (5% aqueous solution) 5-7. Faint odor and bitter taste. |
| Air & Water Reactions | Water soluble. |
| Reactivity Profile | Tween 80 is incompatible with strong alkalis and oxidizers. |
| Fire Hazard | Tween 80 is probably combustible. |
| Biochem/physiol Actions | Tween 80 is used as emulsifiers, dissolving agents and stabilizer for essential oils, topical application and medical infusions including intravenous, subcutaneous or intramuscular administration. |
| Safety Profile | Moderately toxic by intravenous route. Mildly toxic by ingestion. Experimental reproductive effects. Questionable carcinogen with experimental tumorigenic data. Human mutation data reported. An eye irritant. When heated to decomposition it emits acrid smoke and irritating fumes. |