sucrose fatty acid polyesters having six to eight hydroxyl groups esterified per molecule are synthesized in a dicyclohexylcarbodiimide coupling of sucrose lower esters with fatty acids in tetrahydrofuran in the presence of 4 - dimethylaminopyridine . the procedure avoids the solubility , viscosity and phase separation problems encountered in previously described syntheses , and the product of the condensation is free of contamination by alkali metal soaps used and the sucrose decomposition products formed in other methods .