E-numbers  /  Other additives  /  E1404

Oxidised starch

also: Oxidized starch · Modified starch

Native starch treated with a mild oxidising agent to make it thinner and more stable when heated. Used to thicken and stabilise processed foods.

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An ingredient list from the fresh meat, poultry and fish aisle

Squid (Molluscs) (35%), Breadcrumb [ Wheat Flour, Canola Oil, Sugar, Salt, Colour: Turmeric Extract], Batter [ Wheat Flour, Water, Thickeners (E1404, E1420), Sugar, Raising Agents (E450, E500), Salt]

E1404Plant

Oxidised starch

Oxidised starch is native starch, derived from wheat, maize, potato, rice or tapioca, that has been treated with sodium hypochlorite or other approved oxidising agents.

VeganVegetarian

What oxidised starch is, what it does and where you will see it

What is it?

Oxidised starch is native starch, derived from wheat, maize, potato, rice or tapioca, that has been treated with sodium hypochlorite or other approved oxidising agents. The oxidation process introduces carboxyl and carbonyl groups onto the starch chains, breaking down some of the cross-links. This reduces the viscosity of cooked starch pastes and improves film-forming properties. The result is a fine white to off-white powder largely indistinguishable from unmodified starch by appearance.

What does it do?

Oxidation lowers the gel strength and viscosity of starch pastes, producing a thinner, clearer, more stable sauce or gel at lower concentrations. The modified chains are less prone to retrogradation, meaning gels resist going lumpy or separating on cooling or freezing. Oxidised starch also acts as a binding and film-forming agent in coatings. In food manufacturing it helps maintain a consistent texture across production batches and improves freeze-thaw stability in chilled and frozen products.

Where you will see it

Oxidised starch turns up in frozen ready meals, soups, sauces, gravies, salad dressings, processed cheeses, and coated confectionery. It is used in paper-thin food coatings on nuts and snacks and in some bakery fillings. On a UK ingredient label it may appear as 'oxidised starch', 'modified starch (E1404)', or simply 'modified starch' with no E number shown.

What the science says

Digestion and absorption

When eaten, oxidised starch is broken down in the gut much like ordinary starch. Digestive enzymes hydrolyse the modified chains into glucose units, which are absorbed in the small intestine. Any fragments that escape digestion reach the colon and are fermented by gut bacteria in the same way as dietary fibre from ordinary starch. No intact modified starch molecules are absorbed into the bloodstream.

Modified starches including oxidised starch (E1404) are not absorbed intact; they are substantially hydrolysed by intestinal enzymes and residual fractions are fermented by the colonic microbiota, with no distinct toxicological concern arising from the modification.

2017Regulatory reviewEFSA ANS Panel, EFSA Journal, re-evaluation of modified starches as food additives

Genotoxicity and long-term toxicity

Regulators reviewed animal feeding studies and computational toxicity screening. Rats fed very high doses of oxidised starch over their lifetimes showed no treatment-related effects relevant to human risk assessment. In silico modelling found no structural features that would predict genotoxicity. No carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity, or developmental toxicity signals emerged from the available data.

Based on in silico analyses, adequate animal toxicity data, and the absence of treatment-related effects at high dietary doses in rodents, the EFSA ANS Panel concluded modified starches including E1404 are not of genotoxic concern and raise no safety concern at reported food-use levels.

2017Regulatory reviewEFSA ANS Panel, EFSA Journal 15(10):4911

Residual oxidising agents

The oxidation step may leave trace residues of the chemical used, most commonly hypochlorite-derived chlorinated compounds. Specification limits cap these residues at very low levels. JECFA and EFSA both set acceptable maximum residue levels in the finished starch, and compliance with those specifications is a condition of legal use in food.

Purity specifications for oxidised starch set maximum residue levels for oxidising-agent by-products; foods made with compliant starch are within the parameters evaluated in the safety assessment.

2017RegulatoryEFSA ANS Panel, EFSA Journal 15(10):4911

Where it stands with the regulators

Approved for use in the UK and EU
Legal basis
UK FSA approved-additives list and assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008 (Annex II). UK approval confirmed on the FSA regulated products register (data.food.gov.uk/regulated-products/food_authorisations/e-1404): status 'Authorised' in England, Scotland and Wales, effective 31 December 2020, with specifications under Assimilated Regulation (EU) No. 231/2012.
Permitted foods
Processed cereals and bakery goods; Soups and sauces; Processed cheese; Salad dressings and emulsified sauces; Frozen ready meals; Confectionery coatings; Coated nuts and snacks; Other processed foods at quantum satis (no fixed maximum for most categories)
Maximum levels
Quantum satis (as much as needed to achieve the technological function) for most food categories; specific category limits apply where set in Annex II of Regulation 1333/2008
Safe-intake limit (ADI)
ADI not specified (JECFA and SCF; confirmed by EFSA 2017)
History
Oxidised starch has been permitted in the EU and UK food supply for many decades. JECFA allocated an ADI 'not specified' in its earlier evaluations. EFSA's ANS Panel completed a formal re-evaluation in 2017 covering all twelve modified starches authorised under Regulation 1333/2008 (E1404-E1452 series) and confirmed the 'not specified' ADI on the basis of adequate toxicological data and normal digestive breakdown to glucose.

Who should be careful

Oxidised starch derived from wheat carries a risk for people with coeliac disease or wheat allergy, because wheat must be declared as an allergen on UK labels. Maize, potato, rice, or tapioca-derived oxidised starch does not require the same declaration. People with wheat allergy or coeliac disease should check the specific starch source, which manufacturers are required to disclose when the source is a major allergen. The label will name the source if it is a major allergen, for example 'modified wheat starch' or 'modified starch (wheat)'.

The honest read

Oxidised starch is one of the most extensively reviewed modified starches in the food supply. It has been assessed by JECFA, the EU Scientific Committee for Food, and most recently by EFSA in 2017 in a comprehensive group re-evaluation. The consistent conclusion across those bodies is that the modification does not produce a toxicologically distinct substance: the body handles it as starch. No numerical ADI was considered necessary because exposure at food-use levels is far below any level producing effects in animal studies. The main practical question for individual shoppers is which plant the starch came from, since wheat-sourced starch carries allergen relevance for coeliacs and wheat-allergic consumers.

Common questions about oxidised starch

Is E1404 banned in the UK?

No. Oxidised starch (E1404) is permitted in the UK under the assimilated version of EU Regulation 1333/2008 and is listed on the FSA's approved-additives register. It has been in continuous use as an authorised food additive for several decades.

Is oxidised starch the same as bleached starch?

The oxidation process does mildly whiten the starch as a side-effect, so oxidised starch is sometimes described informally as 'bleached starch'. However, 'bleached starch' is not a legal food-additive category in the UK or EU. E1404 specifically refers to starch oxidised by approved agents under defined specification limits, not a cosmetic bleaching process.

What foods contain E1404?

It appears mainly in processed soups, gravies, sauces, salad dressings, frozen ready meals, processed cheeses, confectionery coatings, and coated snacks. On a UK label it may be listed as 'oxidised starch', 'modified starch (E1404)', or 'modified starch' followed by the plant source in brackets if that source is a major allergen.

Is E1404 vegan?

Yes. Oxidised starch is derived entirely from plant sources (wheat, maize, potato, rice or tapioca) and does not involve any animal-derived processing aids at the E1404 stage. It is suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

Sources

Last reviewed: 20 June 2026

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