E911 - Fatty acid methyl ester
What it is and how it is used
Fatty acid methyl esters are made by reacting a fat or oil with methanol — the same transesterification reaction that produces biodiesel, which is what FAME is best known as.
Their food-adjacent use is as a surface coating on fresh fruit, particularly citrus, where a thin film slows moisture loss and extends the time the fruit stays saleable. That is a post-harvest treatment applied to the outside of the peel rather than an ingredient of a manufactured food.
Foods commonly containing it
None in Great Britain under this code. Where permitted elsewhere, the use is as a coating on fresh citrus and other fruit.
Safety summary
Fatty acid methyl esters (E 911) does not appear in the FSA Register of Food Additive Authorisations, the official list of additives authorised for the market in Great Britain, and it is not on the DHSC/FSA list of approved additives and E numbers. On the current GB list it is not an authorised food additive.
No GB or EFSA acceptable daily intake applies to it as a food additive.
The waxes and glazing agents that are authorised for surface treatment of fruit in Great Britain include beeswax (E 901), candelilla wax (E 902), carnauba wax (E 903) and shellac (E 904). UK-sold waxed fruit must declare the treatment on the label or at point of sale.