A process for the production of carbohydrate

The invention relates to a method for producing carbohydrate partial esters with a degree of esterification ranging from 1 to 6 by alkali-catalyzed transesterification in the presence of emulsifiers. The inventive method comprises the following steps: a) alkali carbonates are treated with fatty acid low-alkyl esters of formula (I): R CO-OR to form a catalytically active system, wherein R CO stands for a linear or branched saturated or unsaturated acyl radical with 6 to 22 carbon atoms and R stands for a linear or branched alkyl radical with 1 to 5 carbon atoms, and b) the mixture thus obtained is transesterified by thoroughly stirring it with a mixture of (b1) glucose with 5 to 12 carbon atoms and (b2) carbon hydrate partial esters (as emulsifiers), resulting in an emulsion/dispersion, wherein the particles have an average diameter of 10 to 60 mu m. The major advantage of the inventive method is that it considerably shortens reaction times.