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Triacetin is a flavor carrier used widely throughout the Food Industry. It has been rated as GRAS (generally recognized as safe), and inhalation tests have shown no outstanding issues. However, it is not as water soluble as propylene glycol, and it can separate out in some blends. It is the triester of glycerol and acetic acid, and is the second simplest fat after triformin. It is an artificial chemical compound, commonly used as a food additive, for instance as a solvent in flavourings, and for its humectant function. Triacetin is also a component of casting liquor with TG and as an excipient in pharmaceutical products where it is used as a humectant, a plasticizer, and as a solvent. Triacetin can also be used as a fuel additive as an antiknock agent which can reduce engine knocking in gasoline, and to improve cold and viscosity properties of biodiesel. In a 1994 report released by five top cigarette companies, triacetin was listed as one of the 599 cigarette additives. The triacetin is applied to the filter as a plasticizer. It has been considered as a possible source of food energy in artificial food regeneration systems on long space missions. It is believed to be safe to get over half of one's dietary energy from triacetin. Triacetin is produced from a multi-stage reaction sequence involving glycerine, acetic acid, and acetic anhydride asraw materials. In the firstreaction, glycerine is esterified with acetic acid. In thisfirststage, the conversion isto mono1 di-acetin. Water is also formed and is removed from the reaction system by azeotropic distillation of the acetic acid/water mixture during the reaction. In the second stage, the products from the first reaction, namely mono1 di-acetin, are further esterified in an exothermic reaction with acetic anhydride. Triacetin and acetic acid are formed, the latter returning to the reaction system to be used asthe reactant in the firstreaction. The Triacetin plant is a highly automated and dedicated continuous plant. Glycerine is reacted with acetic acid and acetic anhydride in the bubble column and cascading reactor vessels. The overheads from the bubble column go to an azeotrope column where butyl acetate is added to help break the azeotrope so that acetic acid can be fully recovered. The crude Triacetin leaving the reactor train is then further refined in two distillation units and a deodorizer column which basically stripsimpurities with nitrogen. Unreacted acetic acid isrecovered and recycled back to the reaction section ofthe plant.
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