There are many synthesis methods for sucrose fatty acid esters. Based on the 'collision' mechanism of chemical reactions, the first thought is to complete the collision in a certain solvent medium, and dimethyl sulfoxide, benzylamine, cyclohexylamine, propylene glycol, and dimethylformamide can all be used as solvents.

Sucrose, fatty acid methyl esters, catalysts, carbonates, and fatty acid salts undergo ester exchange reactions under reduced pressure and heating conditions. After the reaction, the unreacted solvents, raw materials, and by-products are removed, followed by crystallization, drying, and grinding. With the development of 'green chemistry' and 'green chemical engineering', many chemical industries have adopted environmentally friendly conditions, such as the solvents used for reactions. Sucrose fatty acid ester manufacturers can also adopt corresponding ideas.

The aqueous solvent method, also known as the water emulsion method, first dissolves sucrose and fatty acid salts (potassium, sodium, or calcium soap) in water to form a uniform sucrose soap solution. Then, under the provided reaction temperature conditions, the sucrose fatty acid ester manufacturer adds a catalyst and methyl stearate to carry out the ester exchange reaction under reduced pressure. The temperature and pressure used should ensure that methyl stearate does not hydrolyze. This method has mild reaction conditions, no toxic solvents, short reaction time, and a raw material conversion rate of about 85% to 95%.

In 1975, the British sugar company Tate & Lyle synthesized sucrose esters from sucrose fatty acids under solvent-free conditions, catalyzed and protected by nitrogen. Since the 1960s, with the development of biotechnology, it has been found that some microorganisms can also produce sucrose esters. Sucrose esters not only have emulsifying, wetting, and solubilizing effects but also enhance immunity and have anti-tumor effects. Using lipases from Rhizopus, Escherichia coli, Aspergillus, Pseudomonas, Chromobacterium, Pichia pastoris, Myxobacteria, and Penicillium, sucrose can react with stearic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid to produce sucrose esters.

The enzymatic method overcomes many disadvantages of chemical synthesis: first, this method has mild reaction conditions, and the products are easy to purify; second, the critical micelle concentration for the bioconversion of sucrose esters is low, and the surface tension is high. The emulsifying, solubilizing, and foaming properties of bioconverted sucrose esters are superior to those of chemically synthesized sucrose esters. Currently, there are no indicators for sucrose ester content in the national standards for sucrose esters, but sucrose esters are important effective components for emulsifying health care, so it is necessary to be aware of the content of various esters in sucrose ester products.