E-numbers / Other additives / E1410
also: Starch monophosphate · Modified starch
A chemically modified starch used to thicken and stabilise processed foods, keeping sauces and fillings smooth.
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Monostarch phosphate is made by reacting native starch (from maize, potato, wheat or tapioca) with a phosphate salt.
Monostarch phosphate is made by reacting native starch (from maize, potato, wheat or tapioca) with a phosphate salt. The phosphate group is bonded to a single starch chain, which alters the starch's physical behaviour without fundamentally changing what it is made of. It belongs to the broader family of phosphated modified starches authorised as food additives.
Phosphation raises the temperature at which the starch granules swell and thicken (gelatinisation temperature), makes the resulting gel more stable during heating, cooling and freezing, and reduces the tendency of gels to weep liquid over time (syneresis). This gives manufacturers a more predictable, shelf-stable texture than plain native starch across a wide range of processing conditions.
Most commonly found in canned soups, cook-in sauces, pie fillings, instant gravies, salad dressings, ready meals, and some dairy desserts. It is also used in low-fat spreads and processed cheese to maintain texture. On a UK ingredient list it appears as 'modified starch' or 'modified maize starch' (or the starch source may vary), or as 'E1410'.
Modified starches are not absorbed as intact molecules. Digestive enzymes in the small intestine break the starch chains down much as they would ordinary starch, and any residual fragments that reach the large intestine are fermented by gut bacteria. EFSA's 2017 re-evaluation found no meaningful difference in digestibility between monostarch phosphate and unmodified starch at the levels used in food.
In human studies, modified starches including monostarch phosphate were substantially hydrolysed by intestinal enzymes and fermented by gut microbiota, behaving similarly to native starch in the gut.
Animal feeding studies at very high doses showed no treatment-related effects relevant to human risk. In silico (computational) analysis found no genotoxic concern from the phosphate modification. EFSA concluded no numerical acceptable daily intake was needed, meaning the group was not concerned about the amounts people realistically consume from food.
Rats fed modified starches at up to 31,000mg per kg of body weight per day showed no treatment-related effects of relevance to human risk assessment. EFSA set no numerical ADI and identified no safety concern at current use levels.
In silico genotoxicity analysis of the phosphate modification found no genotoxic concern for the modified starch group.
Phosphate is a naturally occurring mineral found in meat, dairy, legumes and grains. The phosphate group bonded into monostarch phosphate contributes a small additional load to total dietary phosphate intake. For the general healthy population this is not considered a concern, but people with kidney disease are routinely advised to limit total dietary phosphate from all sources, including food additives.
People with chronic kidney disease have impaired ability to excrete phosphate; dietary phosphate from food additives, including phosphated starches, contributes to phosphate load and is flagged in clinical dietary guidance for this group.
People with chronic kidney disease are typically advised by their dietitian to reduce phosphate intake from all sources, which includes phosphated modified starches such as E1410. Look for 'modified starch', 'modified maize starch', 'modified tapioca starch', or 'E1410' on the label.
Monostarch phosphate is one of a well-studied group of modified starches that have been in the food supply for decades and reviewed multiple times by international regulatory bodies. The toxicology database is extensive, and the processing modification is chemically minor: a phosphate group attached to a starch chain. For people without kidney disease, there is no specific finding from the science that points to a concern at levels found in food. For people managing kidney disease, phosphate from any source including food additives is a genuine dietary consideration, and that is the honest scope of the issue here.
No. E1410 (monostarch phosphate) is on the UK FSA's approved-additives list and is permitted in a wide range of processed foods under assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008.
People with chronic kidney disease are generally advised to limit total dietary phosphate, and phosphated modified starches including E1410 contribute to that load. Anyone managing kidney disease should check with their dietitian. On a label it may appear as 'modified starch', 'modified maize starch', or 'E1410'.
It is most commonly used in cook-in sauces, canned soups, pie fillings, ready meals, instant gravies, salad dressings and some dairy desserts. It gives these products a smooth, stable texture that holds up through heating, chilling and freezing.
Yes. Monostarch phosphate is derived from plant sources such as maize, potato, wheat or tapioca. It contains no animal products. People with a wheat allergy or coeliac disease should check the starch source, as wheat-derived modified starch must be declared on the label under UK allergen law.
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